Captured Hearts
by Phoenix of Starlight
Summary: Countless years in the future, certain creatures such as merpeople, centaurs, vampires and werewolves will be captured and observed by humans. Slight OOC-ness. AU. 6918, 18Basil, B26/BelMam, 8059/5927, XS, 100Kikyo, ColoFon, JilMam, RebornLambo, BluebellFuuta, DinoLal. BoyxBoy
1. The Hunted

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter One: The Hunted**

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><p>"Well look what we have here..."<p>

"M-mmf...!" came the muffled complaint as the frail body in the cavern made a move against his binds.

"You want to be set free? Like hell I'd do that. Do you know what you are?" he bent down and held the ravenette's cheek, smirking evilly. "You're a vampire. You're a monster."

The bound vampire glared at the man before him. He recognized this man from the pictures- Mukuro Rokudo, a very reknown vampire hunter. According to what he'd been told, Mukuro had slaughtered his family, and many more of his kind. And now he was stuck in the worst possible situation. Mukuro had his hands tied together with a rope, his legs bound, and a ball of cloth stuffed in his mouth to keep him from making much noise. He wasn't sure, but he also thought that perhaps he'd been drugged.

"You know who I am, right, vampire?"

"M...Mo...Moko...," Hibari attempted to answer, before giving up. Why did he need to perform tricks in the first place?

"Kufufufufu... good boy, good boy, perhaps I should keep you as a pet! Fufu..."

The mere word made a growl rise in Hibari's throat. Never, NEVER had he been called a pet, and never would he take that. He was at the top of vampire society- pretty much an aristocrat! No hunter would ever tell him otherwise. Hibari Kyoya was nobility. Anything that would defile his image he stayed firmly away from. But... as he lied there, bound so tightly he couldn't feel his legs, he decided it didn't quite matter anymore. He'd be content to die right there... after a humiliation such as this.

"Ahh, but that's simply against my morals. You're lucky though, vampire. Science department for supernatural beings needs more data. Sooo..." Hibari gave a quiet grunt as he was hoisted up over the hunter's shoulder, and, though confused, accepted being carried for a while, until he was thrown- literally thrown- into a cage. Mukuro then bent down, and said quietly, "Not a peep, vampire."

The cloth was removed from Hibari's mouth, and he panted quietly, watching as Mukuro cut the ropes around his wrists and ankles. As soon as he was free, he leapt up, trying to get away from the hunter, but he made the mistake of backing up into where the cage exit was NOT, and the door was closed, and locked on him.

He hissed at Mukuro, his eyes blazing with anger when he saw that he'd been trapped. "Free me this instant," he snarled, "if you don't, I'll bite you to death."

"Shh," Mukuro hushed him. "What is your accepted vampire name?"

"Accepted, huh?" Hibari thought for a moment. "Hibarin." He only answered because he didn't want to be referred to as 'vampire' any further. Besides, it wasn't a problem if Mukuro only knew his most popular alias.

"Hibarin, hm? Then I'll have to go check your stats in the computers."

"Stats?" Hibari repeated quietly, before staring at the bars holding him in. The metallic blue color proved his suspiscions that the bars were too strong for him to break. It was made of an alloy that hunters often used to chain vampires.

"All right, here, you're a thousand years old- just around the teen years, fufu~, born into quite the prostigious clan, and your full name is Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, correct?" Hibari stared in shock when his full name was recited. He was supposed to be the only one who knew! And since Mukuro now possessed his name, he truly was no more than a pet. "I presume Hibarin is a mere alias. It figures you would pull such a rotten trick on me, you monster."

"Don't call me that," Hibari hissed, wrapping his hands around the bars of the cage, and pressing his face up to them so that he could try to see the computer screen. He quickly gave up, and looked around inside his dark encasement with narrow, gray eyes. "This cage is for herbivores," he snickered. "Why the hell must I stay in here?"

"Hey, Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, how about you _stay silent_ so that I may keep reading through your personal data? And if you _sit down_ and _be a good boy_ for a while, I'll certainly reward you."

Hibari blushed, knowing that he couldn't disobey. It was just impossible- Mukuro had used his full name. So, never one to deny his blood, Hibari sat down, and waited patiently for Mukuro to finish. About five minutes after he had taken a seat, Mukuro had glanced at him, and he smirked when he saw the obedience, and the slight fear, in Hibari's expression.

"It does work," he mused, "I wouldn't have ever thought. Then, Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _stand up_ and _bow_ to me. _Thank me_ for the cage and _call me Master_ while your at it."

Hibari, cringing, stood, and bowed, saying quietly, "Thank you for the cage, Master."

"Fufufu! This is priceless. Here, you want that reward? Let me get you a fine glass of blood, kufufufufu!"

The ravenette's mouth watered at the word 'blood'. He hadn't actually had a meal in days, when he thought about it. At least, not a 'fine' meal, as Mukuro had put it. He'd been feeding himself on whatever he could scrounge up- vegetables, lesser meats such as rabbits and fish... and of course, water. If he could get his hands on a nice glass of human blood... he would be very, very grateful.

Mukuro soon came back with a wine glass containing a thick red liquid that Hibari instantly assumed to be what he strongly desired, without giving a single second thought to the matter. "Here, drink," he offered. Hibari took the glass and downed it quickly, then stopped, feeling sick. He spat out the drink instantly and glared at Mukuro, wiping his lips.

"What the hell is this?" he asked in anger. He tasted the faint sweetness still on his tongue, and felt humiliated. "Tomato juice?"

"Fufufufufu! You are SO cute, Hibarin, my utmost apologies for pulling a joke on you, it was simply so tempting!"

Hibari blushed dark red and retreated to the corner of his cage. "All right, just leave me alone," he whispered.

"Hm? Hibarin? ... Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _look into my eyes_ and _tell me_ why you're shunning me now."

The vampire sighed, then turned, and said, his expression quivering, "I'm starving. I haven't had a decent meal in days, Mukuro, I'm so hungry!" The hunter paused, probably suprised by the whine in the usually very deep and masculine voice.

"Fine then. ... Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _stay still."_

Hibari did so as his cage was unlocked, and Mukuro came forward, taking off his jacket. He then lifted his shirt up over his head, and knelt down beside the vampire. "Now _drink_," he ordered.

Trusting every instinct, Hibari leaned in, and sniffed the hunter before he bit down. A sweet scent took him by suprise, and he nodded to himself, before sinking his fangs into the lean, muscular skin. Delicious blood seeped into his mouth as he nursed on the skin, and he winced when he felt the hunter claw into his back and hold his head. As Mukuro breathed his alias in a soft voice, he closed his eyes a little, and continued to feast on the other for a while longer, gentle sucking noises being the only audible sounds in the area. A while later, he parted from the hunter and licked his lips, then glanced to see if the other was all right. There was a definite bond gained when one donated their blood to a vampire, and, even though the link between the two was faint, Hibari could feel its strength.

"Mukuro? You okay?" he asked, reaching to touch the man's cheek.

"I'm... fine...," the hunter sighed, "keep still, vampire."

Mukuro stood, and walked out of the containment, then chained it back up. "Are you sure?" Hibari asked, licking his lips again. The hunter looked up, and smiled at the vampire.

"As long as your full, Hibarin. I just need a moment of rest... pardon me..."

Hibari watched Mukuro leave with uncertain eyes, but smiled once the hunter was out of sight. "That was nice," he sighed, grinning.

A loud creaking sound then started up, and Hibari looked behind him to see a wall of his cage rising, to reveal a vampire behind it. "Oh?" came a light voice. "Who art thou?" Hibari watched as the younger vampire walked out, with light tan hair swept over his bright, blue eyes, and a voice accented like something ancient.

"I could ask you the same question," the ravenette replied. "I'm called Hibarin."

"Basil," the younger replied, "I take it thou hast already eaten?"

"Yes, just got fed," Hibari answered. Basil came close and took Hibari's head in his hands, then, to his utmost suprise, kissed him. The smaller vampire gave a quiet moan as droplets of the leftover blood seeped into his mouth, then backed up, smiling.

"Thy taste is sweeter than the sweetest rose," he whispered. "Might I steal more of thy delicious lips?"

Hibari gently pushed Basil back. "I'm not intrested in any of that, thank you," he said.

"Ah, greatest apologies, Lord Hibarin, I was captivated by the smell of blood," Basil apologized, "I did not consider that thou hast already taken thy mate."

"I haven't chosen a 'mate,' yet, I'm just not into that at the moment. Besides... I was still enjoying my dinner."

"Very sorry," Basil repeated, bowing his head. "It's just that, Lord Mukuro probably intends for us to mate, as he has put us in the same area. He often does things like this for the Science Center."

"I see. Well, then, Mukuro's mistaken. I have no intrest in taking a mate at the moment."

"All right," the younger vampire agreed, before heading back to his original half of the cage. "I suppose I should not interfere with thy values, then."

Hibari sighed, and lied down on the cold stone floor of his cage. "Yeah. I suppose you shouldn't," he sighed, before closing his eyes.

-**End Chapter**

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><p>Hehehe. Whoops. Look at me... I'm apparently in a vamp-slump. Sorry everyone! Even Phoenix can't resist the temptation of fangs! But don't worry- you know me; I'm loyal to the reviewers... and my writing, too!<p>

So please review!


	2. The Watched

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Two: The Watched**

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><p><em>The Next Morning...<em>

"Excuse me, Sir Hibarin, thy Master cometh to thee... Thou should awaken..."

"Ugh... your dialect is so... ugh...," Hibari groaned, turning over. "Wait... what...? Master?"

"Hello~? Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _rise_, please~."

Hibari sat upright, remembering the previous day in a flash. He groaned, rubbing his forehead, and looked up at Mukuro with a cold stare. "Oh, right."

"I see you and Basilicum Arpeggio V haven't gotten to know each other very well. Pity," he said. Basil sat upright, and hissed at the hunter.

"I told thou not to speak my full name in the presence of others," he snarled. "Addionally, thy pity hast no value to me. Lord Hibarin is not intrested in taking a mate."

"What he said," Hibari muttered.

"Fufufu~, it really is a shame; you two just make the cutest vampire couple," Mukuro chuckled, grinning widely. "What could possibly keep you two apart?"

"Lack of intrest," the raven-haired vampire answered.

"Lord Hibarin's indifference," Basil said.

"Kufufufufufu. Well, I'm sad to say that you are the only two I have captive right now. All of the other vampires I've captured I killed on the spot for being vicious."

"And yet thou continues to let me live," Basil muttered, "even though I wish not to live captive."

Mukuro grinned. "Well, you're just nice and weak, so I can keep you captive as long as I want, isn't that right, Basil?"

"Stop teasing him," Hibari stepped in, "I hate people who pick on the weak."

"Hm. Well, I have breakfast for you two. Please take the exit as it opens," the hunter answered. A metallic groan rose in the back of the cage, revealing a corridor. "I had some experts make you vampires a little playpen, Hibarin, so feel free to go and enjoy."

Hibari gave Mukuro one last wary look over his shoulder, before following Basil down the tunnel. "It's not too bad," Basil told the older vampire, "actually, it's kind of nice in there... thou shall see. As long as we don't attack the observing humans, we can focus on feeding ourselves..."

"What 'observing humans?'" Hibari asked.

"Thou shall see," Basil repeated. "Follow me."

The cave soon came into an opening- a dark, stony, cave-like area with several dead trees, and a pond filled with fish. Basil immediately walked over to the pond, cupped his hands, and began to drink the water. Hibari, naturally, was more alert. He looked around the dark, blue walls, and couldn't help but feel a tad angry. He was used to a beautiful place with bright green grass, roses, and blue skies. This was undoubtedly biased towards the human generalization of a vampire.

"Ooh, who's the new one?" came a feminine voice from the sides. "He's so cute!"

"That guy? Eh, Mukuro- our hunter- tells me his name's Hibarin. Be careful, everyone, I'm not quite sure how tame he is."

Hibari headed in the direction of the voices, and saw several bars, with humans on the other side. More proof that he wasn't a free vampire. Presumably the man who had given introductions, an older, blonde guy smiled when he approached. "Hello, Hibarin," he greeted. "Do you like it here so far?" Hibari glared at the blonde and bared his fangs, causing a couple of the spectating women to the man's side to gasp and/or squeal. "It's okay, ladies, they can't get through to us, and they know it. Hm, I haven't introduced myself to him, either, so he's probably anxious."

The blonde reached out his hand to Hibari, and said nicely, "Name's Dino. I'm one of the keepers associated with the Science Center for Supernatural Beings. How do you do?"

Hibari instantly reached through the bars and grabbed Dino's wrist, growling, "I am not an animal."

"Geez, this one's got a grip," Dino said with a wince as the girls behind him paniced. "Easy, ladies, he can't do any harm." Dino then got up close to the bars, and whispered, "Hibari Natsu Kyoya the second,_ release me and apologize_."

Hibari did so, and muttered, "Sorry," to the vampire tamer.

"See, there's a good boy," Dino praised, reaching up through the bars and patting Hibari on the head. "Now go ahead and get back to hunting, okay? You don't have much time left."

Hibari glared at the blonde, and left, going to go ask Basil exactly what this place was for. Behind him, he could hear Dino telling the girls more about the vampires' behavior. "Basil," Hibari greeted, kneeling beside the pond, "What a-"

"Shh."

Hibari arched a brow when he was hushed, and started again, "What are w-"

"Shh, Lord Hibarin."

"... But what are we supposed to-"

_"Shh!"_

Hibari sighed, and waited as Basil watched a fish in the pond, before suddenly lunging out and smacking it out of the water with a flash of his hand. The older vampire groaned as he was splashed, and he blushed lightly when he heard the 'observers' laughing at them. "Greatest apologies, Lord Hibarin, I prefer to catch what I've been watching so intently," Basil said, indicating to the fish that flopped awkwardly on the stone ground. Basil grabbed it, and used a fang to cut the spinal cord. He then glanced at Hibari, and asked, "Aren't thou going to hunt?"

"Well... I'm not really hungry," Hibari replied.

"Okay... well... if you change your mind... I'll give you some of this, so..."

"I'm fine," Hibari insisted. "Eat your catch."

"All right, vampires, you've got an hour left to hunt- behave yourselves!" Dino called, before the gate closed for the observers.

"Ah, privacy at last," Basil sighed. "They always watch us for a little bit before they leave."

"Why do they use such a short time, though?" Hibari asked. Basil glanced at him, before going back to preparing his catch.

"They want to give us completely private time so that we can exchange blood if we want," he explained, hiding his blush.

"... I see," Hibari said, taking the other's wrist. "If we're going to be sharing an area, we may as well bond a little. I'll offer you a drink."

Basil looked back at the older vampire, then gulped, and turned to him. "You will?"

"Yeah," Hibari said, "I got to use my fangs against Mukuro yesterday, so I'm okay for passing the favor to you."

Basil watched as Hibari shed his cape and opened his shirt, before indicating to his collarbone. "Here, or my shoulder... just try not to go crazy." The younger vampire placed his hands on Hibari's shoulders, and came in, before biting down on the crook of his neck, managing to avoid arteries that would kill the other if punctured. Basil drank silently for a while, and Hibari sighed, tangling his fingers in the light, dusty tan hair, and focusing on the feel of being bitten by his own kind.

"Harder," he grunted, and he gasped when the younger's jaws clamped down harder on his neck. Soon after, however, Basil backed up, his cheeks almost as red as the blood that dribbled down his chin.  
>"Thy blood is so, so sweet, Lord Hibarin...," Basil told the ravenette, before licking his lips. "I very much so appreciate thy generosity."<br>"No problem," Hibari replied, before looking back at the pond. "So this water is safe to drink, right?"  
>"But of course, here, let me show thee the easiest way to drink..."<p>

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><p><em>Later<em>...

"All right, guys, head on back to the main cage!" called a voice as the observation area reopened, "Come on, other guys need to eat too."

Hibari and Basil headed back to their area, and the door closed behind them as they hopped down into their cage. "What 'other guys' was he talking about?" Hibari asked as the last doors closed.

"The other 'supernatural' creatures. Werewolves and centaurs, mostly, cause that place isn't suited for everyone."

"Have you met any of them?" the vampire asked. "I heard werewolves are very hostile... and disgraceful."

"Well, I once met a centaur, but I don't remember much about him. It was a really brief meeting- I didn't even catch his name. That was when I was first caught. I was being shown around."

"Hey, vampires," Mukuro greeted, walking into the room. "Hibari Natsu Kyoya II and Basilicum Arpeggio V, _stay still,"_ he ordered, before unlocking and opening the cage door. He grinned at Hibari. "_Take my hand_, Hibarin."

Hibari reached forward and took the hunter's hand, and allowed him to pull him out of the cage. Mukuro closed the doors behind him, and told Basil to _'be a good little vampire'_ while he was gone. He looped a vampire proof rope around Hibari's neck, and grinned. "Ready to meet the others?"

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Review if you think I cliff'd you! Actually, review if you have any thoughts whatsoever about this fic!<p> 


	3. The Observant

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Three: The Observant**

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><p>Hibari allowed Mukuro to lead him into a hall, where he saw the tamer guy from earlier. "Dino," Mukuro called, "can you show Kyoya around? I need to go feed the merpeople."<p>

"Sure," Dino replied, taking the leash.

"Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _be good_ for Dino," Mukuro ordered. The vampire nodded, and followed the blonde man up to a set of bars that he recognized to be the observation point from which Dino had watched him earlier.

"The centaurs are feeding right now," Dino informed the vampire. "They're all pretty tame- 'cept Byakuran. He's the white one, in the back."

Hibari glanced back there, and arched a brow when he noticed something odd. "Why does the white one have wings?"

"Haha, I knew you'd ask. Byakuran there is a halfbreed. Part centaur, part pegasus."

"Hn," Hibari grunted.

"Hey! Takeshi, come over here!" Dino called, "I want to introduce you to someone!"

A dark, dark brown centaur in the back rose, and the human half of the body stretched upwards, before he trotted up to the cage. "Yeah, Dino?"

"Hibarin, this here is Yamamoto Takeshi. Takeshi, this is Hibarin- a vampire."

"Hahaha~, nice to meet you," said the centaur, extending a hand. Hibari hesitantly met him, and shook his hand, and he earned himself a wide smile from the dark-haired horseman. "It's nice to feel a friendly touch," Takeshi said, "it's kind of difficult to interact with my fellows." As if on cue, a light silver centaur galloped past the observing area, screaming something along the lines of 'extreme jogging' as he went. Takeshi laughed nervously. "See what I mean?"

"That one just there is Ryohei," Dino told Hibari. "And... the spotted one there by Byakuran is named Kikyo. They kind of stick together."

"Hey, Hibari, have you been out to the fields yet?" Takeshi asked. "We should meet up and talk animal-to-animal sometime."

"It's going to be a while before the vampires can enter the fields, Takeshi," Dino told him. The centaur sighed, and shrugged.

"I guess it can't be helped. One more question."

"Hn?"

"Why is it that you vampires always wear so many clothes?" Takeshi asked.

"Uhh...," Hibari trailed off, no longer comfortable looking at the centaur's bare chest now that the subject of clothing had been brought up.

"Vampires get really cold, Takeshi, and they're really proud, too," Dino told him. "They aren't quite as carefree as your kind."

"Oh, really?" Yamamoto said. "Huh. I just think it's more comfortable this way."

Dino glanced at his wrist. "You only have ten more minutes to graze, you better get back to that," he said, tapping his watch. "I've got to take Kyoya to see the werewolves, anyway."

"Okay," Takeshi said, before turning away. "Bye, Hibarin!"

"Bye," Hibari said more quietly.

Dino left the area, and gave Hibari a gentle tug on the collar to get him to come along. Hibari hesitantly followed; he wasn't exactly intrested in seeing werewolves. "Hey, Hibarin," Dino started as they walked along through the halls, "I heard werewolves are really close to your species- but it's clear that you guys don't get along. Why is that?"

"Werewolves are the real 'rabid beasts' here," Hibari said "They have zero elegance and can't control themselves at all. Not to mention, they're just plain rude sometimes."

"Haha, I suppose they are, sometimes," Dino said. "As a tamer, I like to get the different perspectives of you guys. It makes me see more about what you're like."

"Hn," the vampire grunted. A little later, they came up to an enclosure not unlike the one that the vampires were being kept in. Inside, there was a blonde-haired creature that resembled a human for everything except for the wolf-like ears and tail he sported. He had bangs covering his eyes, and a grin on his face that was completely suiting for his kind. The other in the cage had silver hair, emerald eyes, and just an all-over delinquent appearance.

"Ah? Dino? What're you here for?" the silverette snarled, folding his arms. He then saw, Hibari. "Che! Just showing around another of those snobby vampires, huh? How lame."

"Snobby?" Hibari repeated, twitching at the word.

"Don't take it to heart, Hibarin," Dino chuckled. "Hayato's particularly mean, aren't you?"

"I told you, the only freaking reason I'm here is because Boss is here, no other reason."

"Boss?" Hibari questioned, looking at Dino.

"'Boss' is one of the scientists here- Tsunayoshi Sawada. See, werewolves are fiercely loyal, and Hayato used to be Tsuna's pet."

"Don't call me that, we were equals until all of this happened," Hayato spat.

"Ushishishishi~," giggled the other werewolf, "lookit his face~ I just love how sensitive vampires are to the word 'pet.'"

"It's because they're so damn snobby," Hayato snickered.

"I hear that if you know a vampire's full name, you can completely control them. Right, Dino?" the blonde werewolf asked.

"Well, yes, but you two aren't getting any vampire names for a while, all right? By the way, Hibarin, that's Belphegor. He used to be a servant to royalty, so naturally, he calls himself a-"

"A prince," Belphegor cut off. "Because I am one."

"Che! Dino, can't I have that move now?" Hayato pleaded. "Move me to where the boss is- I don't want to be around that _thing_."

"Sorry, guys, you know how it is."

"I'm not mating with that commoner," Belphegor said, before moving to the opposite end of the cage and sitting down. "This body belongs to royalty!"

"Disgusting sorry excuse for a werewolf," Gokudera muttered.

"Okay, Hibarin, before they start fighting, let's move on...," Dino said awkwardly, before heading away from the area. Hibari followed, and it wasn't long before they came up to a tank. "Ah, this is my personal favorite- these are the merpeople."

"Merpeople?" the vampire repeated.

"Yeah. I think that's Bluebell way back there," Dino said, pointing to a girl with long-blue hair, and a tail that looked worthy of some prehistoric creature. "The other two are probably feeding, here, let's go up here." Dino led the vampire up some stairs, where they saw Mukuro tossing fish into the tank.

"C'mon, Fran, you've got to eat!" he shouted, before throwing a fish right into a boy's face. The teal-haired merman grunted and grabbed the fish, before tossing it behind him.

"For the last time, I hate fish!" he complained. "Feed me something else- _anything_ else!"

"Don't be greedy," said another, a more muscular merman with long, silver hair.

"All right, Hibarin, the young guy back there is Fran, and the guy with the really long hair is Squalo."

Fran swam up to the edge of the tank and stared at Hibari. "You got any food? Something better than these dumb fish, perhaps?"

Hibari shook his head, and the other groaned, before diving back underwater. Hibari got a glance of a seafoam green dolphin tail as he submerged. "Voi! Since Fran's not eating, I'll gladly take his portion!" Squalo shouted, smirking.

Mukuro sighed, and placed the bucket of fish on the ground. "Sometimes, these guys are really hard to deal with," he muttered. "How's the tour going, Dino?"

"Good. All I have to do is introduce the scientists, and we'll be done," Dino replied.

"Nice," Mukuro said, before suddenly realizing something. "Damn! I have to go get the centaurs back to the fields so that the werewolves can hunt- later!"

"Bye!" Dino called as the hunter rushed out of the area. "Haha," he laughed. "Mukuro's trying so hard to work with all of you guys."

"Indeed," Hibari said. The two headed back down to the bottom of the tank, in which they got to witness Fran pressing his face up against the glass JUST to annoy them.

"Ignore him," Dino murmured. Hibari nodded, and the two continued on for a while before they finally found the main science department. They entered together, and Hibari saw several screens from security cameras around the room. "Hey, guys," Dino greeted. "Just thought I'd bring in the new vampire to meet you."

A brown-haired boy walked over to the two, but became cautious when he saw Hibari. "Ahh, Dino... I really just wanted to ask... how's Hayato doing?"

"Good," Dino answered, "Bel and he will get along _sometime_, I'm sure."

"Okay...," Tsuna sighed. "And this is the new vampire?"

"Yeah. Hibarin's his name," Dino said, grinning.

"My brother caught him, too?" asked a girl who very closely resembled Mukuro. "Well, hopefully now Basil will have a friend."

"That's Chrome," Dino told Hibari, "and in the back, working the computers are Shoichi, and Spanner."

"Dino!"

"Oh, and this guy's name is Reborn," Dino sighed as a very well dressed man walked out.

"I told you not to bring any animals in here!" Reborn said. "Take him back to his cage immediately, or I'll have you fired!"

"Reborn's a little strict," Dino told Hibari, who nodded. The tamer lead Hibari back out, and said, "Sorry, that introduction was pretty cut short."

"That's okay," Hibari replied, "I'm kind of tired, anyways."

"Right," Dino said, "Let's head back."

And so, introductions to the others held captive were made.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>And this is where I'm going to ask people to start telling me the pairings they want to see. I've introduced all of the characters, so feel free to request pairings (although I'd prefer to keep anything involving the girls to a minimum.) Also, please start requesting whether you want this to become a BasilHibari story Oor an 1869 story- even though both will have their moments.<br>And there can be pairings across species, of course, otherwise it would be pretty limited. :)

Every review counts!


	4. The Forbidden

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Four: The Forbidden**

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><p><em>The Next Morning...<em>

Hibari looked up when he heard the click of the lock, and he watched as Mukuro opened the door to the cage. "Hibarin, I need to see you for a moment," he said.

"All right," Hibari replied, though he was cautious. Mukuro took his wrist and closed the cage behind them, leaving Basil still asleep. "What is it?"

"I need to show you something," Mukuro replied.

Hibari didn't realize his own tameness to Mukuro's noneuse of his full name, but even if he did, he wouldn't change it. Mukuro had given him a meal when he needed it most- a favor was owed for that.

The two walked up stairs and into an enclosure Hibari hadn't seen before, a corral filled with lush green grass, flowers, and a bright blue sky above- but Hibari easily saw that there was a thick layer of glass between the cage and the sky. "This is where the centaurs occassionally come out to run," Mukuro said. "I'm wondering if you find it at all appealing. After all, more reknown vampires tend to be the ones who get out more, to appreciate the finer things. Correct?"

"It's beautiful," Hibari replied, before picking his cape up off his shoulders and holding it over his head. "Just a little bright," he murmured.

"I could get you a hat or something. I just want to have you check it out."

The vampire glanced at Mukuro, then out to the fields, and tugged on the grip on his wrist. "May I?" he asked.

"Of course."

The hand released him, and Hibari walked out into the pasture, noting with amusement the hoofprints wherever dirt overruled the grass. He then made his way over to a large, pretty willow tree in the middle of the area. Out of curiosity, Hibari began to climb up the shady limb, digging his fingers into the soft bark to make it up. He crawled out onto a branch and sat down, looking at Mukuro from his perch. The hunter chuckled and walked out as well, then, in one easy move, leapt and swung up onto the branch beside the vampire. "It's quite nice, isn't it?" he said.

"Why don't the vampires get anything so nice?" Hibari asked. "We just get the caves, and... the hunting area... and we're sharing that!"

"Now, now, Hibarin, don't get riled up," Mukuro warned. "We've been working on developing things for your kind, however, we don't know what most vampire's need to keep entertained and whatnot."

"Roses. Colors white and red. Nighttime lighting, but don't make it randomly themed like a graveyard, make it more like a... garden," Hibari ordered. Mukuro smiled, and patted the vampire's shoulder.

"You got it, Hibarin. I'll do what I can to convince Reborn to build something like that."

"Thank you," Hibari sighed, leaning against the illusionist. "...Were you allowed to bring me here?"

"No. And I'll probably be scolded for it. But no matter, I'm glad I brought you h..." Mukuro trailed off when the vampire came especially close, and grabbed his arm. "What is it, Hibarin?" The vampire rolled the hunter's sleeve up and came in, giving his wrist what seemed like a kiss before he punctured the skin. Mukuro winced, and blushed when the vampire's tongue rasped over the tender flesh, cleaning the freshly made wound before it dragged upwards up the hunter's arm. "Hibarin," he grunted. "Stop...!"

Hibari looked up into the hunter's mismatched eyes, then came up, and touched their lips together, stunning him into complete submission. The branch groaned when Hibari got so close, but the strength of the tree told the vampire that it was all right. The ravenette kept the kiss going for another few moments, then finally backed up, still staring piercingly into the hunter's eyes. "That was my thank you for donating your blood to me," Hibarin murmured.

Mukuro nodded, blushing, then hopped down off of the branch, signaling for Hibari to follow. "Come on, Hibarin." Hibari leapt off the branch, making a graceful landing before he began to walk back with Mukuro. The two walked side by side back to the vampire enclosure, where Basil was awake and waiting for them. "Mukuro, thou best not be stealing my potential mate," he said when they approached.

"Pfft. I told you I wasn't intrested, Basil," Hibari muttered, walking back into the cage when Mukuro opened the door.

"Ah, we're just in time for the vampire's turn in the hunting area," Mukuro sighed, before opening the doors for the two. Hibari and Basil left to hunt, but as soon as they entered the area, they saw Dino, as well as Hayato- one of the werewolves.

"C'mon, Hayato, I don't want to hurt you," Dino said, a whip in his hands.

"I want to see Boss, you sorry excuse for a tamer! I'm sick and tired of being stuck with Belphegor all the time! I need Boss, not him!"

"Hayato, you can see Tsuna whenever, but its the vampire's turn to hunt, and you're messing up the schedule."

"Che! Those stuck-up bloodsuckers can wait! I'm not moving!" Hayato shouted. Basil sighed, and sat down on the ground.

"We're going to have to wait for the stupid werewolves to clear up," he mumbled to Hibari. Hibari nodded, and waited, before he noticed that the other werewolf had come back from inside the tunnel to join the rebellion.

"Bel! Ah, thank goodness, help me convince Hayato to go back in the encl- woah!"

The tamer was tackled by the blonde werewolf, who sat back once he had pinned the other down. "Ushishishishi~ I don't wanna be stuck with Hayato any longer, either, I wanna have my own space."

"I can't believe I'm saying this, Belphegor, but I agree with you," the silver-haired werewolf said. Bel flicked his wolf-like ears to acknowledge the comment, before he took Dino's whip and began to tie his hands together.

"Shishishi~," he laughed.

"Ugh! Basil! Hibarin! Help me!" Dino shouted. Basil shook his head.

"I wish not to get involved," he murmured, "werewolves are stronger in numbers, and I can barely take one."

"Hn. Well, I'm just in the mood to kick some ass, so I'm going out there," Hibari replied, standing. Hayato turned and growled at Hibari the second he stood, but the ravenette knew he was stronger. He headed out there, and Hayato cracked his knuckles before rushing at the vampire, who simply stood aside, sticking out a foot to trip the werewolf. With his quick movement, he was successful, and he quickly moved up to Belphegor, who snarled in anger at his fallen fellow werewolf before he attacked Hibari as well. The vampire stood at the ready as Bel came at him, and held out his hands to catch Bel's, instantly creating a pushing contest between them.

Bel was strong, but Hibari, an elite vampire, was much stronger. No prissy pet of royalty could stand up to him. "You're wavering," Hibari told the werewolf as he stepped forward, shoving the blonde back. Suddenly, something collided with Hibari's backside, and his arms were locked in a strong grip from behind.

"Get him, Bel!" shouted a gruff voice from behind as Hibari struggled. The blonde werewolf let out that freaky laugh of his, drawing back his fist, when Basil hurdled himself into the fight and got Hayato off of Hibari, just in time with Dino swinging a leg around to knock Bel down. The two werewolves fell simultaneously with yelps of suprise, and Hibari was fast to go and untie Dino's whip from around his wrists.

"Ah, thanks, Hibarin, Basil," Dino said sincerely, "I owe you one..." Dino took his whip and slashed the air with it, sending out a crack that made the fallen werewolves flinch. "Back to your enclosures, you two!" he ordered. Bel and Hayato immediately stood and began walking back, and Bel patted the other's shoulder, congratulating him on the attempt. "Man, that's rare," Dino said as the door closed behind them. "They're usually really obedient... and Hayato is usually not much different from your average lap dog. I wonder what really got into him... maybe Bel said something."

"Why dost thou continue to forbid him from seeing Lord Sawada? 'Tis only causing further havoc," Basil asked, folding his arms.

Dino paused, as if thinking of an explanation, then said, "Well... his affections for Tsuna are beyond that of dog and master. Hayato loves Tsuna like a mate, and he needs to be with his own kind."

"It's odd," Basil said, "for that conflicts with thy own saying. Thou always says that love knows-"

"No bounds, I know, I know!" Dino groaned. "... But its for our own selfish reasons that we just can't Hayato have that relationship."

The vampires looked between each other, and Hibari glanced at the open gate a ways away. "You better close that," he pointed out.

"Right. Sorry. Thanks again, you two," Dino said, before walking over to the observation area and lowering the bars. "Go ahead and hunt! You have fifty minutes!"

Hibari and Basil both sat at opposite ends of the pond, waiting for their chance to catch a fish.

-End Chapter

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><p>Man, I love this fic.<p>

I've only got one request so far and I incorporated it into this~ Still waiting for more on people's preferences, because I don't know how you'd respond to my weird pairings. XP

Also, this fanfiction's rating may be changed to M on 1/12 (so that later chapters can have a little lemonade), but if anyone is against that, let me know.

Please keep reviewing~


	5. The Drowned

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Five: The Drowned**

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><p><em>A Week Later...<em>

Hibari had more or less become accustomed to the daily routine, but his relationships hadn't progressed in the slightest, oddly enough. And now he sat in his enclosure with Basil, waiting for Mukuro to come so that he could ask an important question. He lied with his arms folded over the ground, silently enjoying a heated rock. He glanced up at Basil, who was fast asleep with his cape draped over his body, and sighed.

"Afternoon, vampires," Mukuro greeted, stepping inside.

"Mukuro," Hibari said, coming up to the cage. "Can you take me to the merpeople enclosure? I want to talk to one of them."

"Oh? All right," Mukuro said, opening the door. "But you'll have to wear the-"

"Leash, I know," Hibari sighed. "I know."

"I'm sorry," Mukuro apologized, snapping the leash to the collar that Hibari now wore regularly. He closed the door for the sleeping Basil, and he and Hibari started towards the merpeople's tank. They walked up the stairs, and Mukuro asked, "Do you... want a private talk with one?"

"That would be nice," Hibari answered, looking at the water before them.

"Okay, don't tell anyone, but I'll let you hang here without me watching. I'll have Dino stay at the bottom of the stairs though, because these guys are unpredictable."

"Thanks," Hibari said. Mukuro nodded and left down the stairs, and the vampire reached into his cloak, before taking out an apple and a knife. Immediately, a merman lunged up on to the rocks, his soaked body splashing the vampire when he moved so fast. The boy then flipped over, and scrambled to sit upright, reaching his hand out.

"You gonna share that?" he asked.

"Heh, I was planning to, calm down," Hibari laughed, before handing the merman a slice. "Fran, right?"

"Yeah," Fran answered, before taking a bite of the fruit. "Man, you have no idea how long its been since I've tasted something other than fish."

Hibari smiled as Fran held out his hand for more. "Here, you can have the whole thing," he said, handing Fran the apple and tucking the knife away in a pocket. He'd found the weapon buried under the ground inside the hunting area, and he wasn't going to hand it over so easy. The apple had been sitting above the knife in the ground.

Fran finished the fruit quickly, and threw the core into the water, before looking at Hibari with happiness. "Thanks, vampire guy," he said, before pushing himself into the water. "Can't stay out of the tank for very long," he said, folding his arms on the rocks and staring up at the ravenette. "Why'd you give me that, though?"

"I was looking for information," Hibari replied. "I want to know more about the merpeople."

"Ah, that's all?" Fran said, before lunging up and grabbing the leash around Hibari's neck. "Then come with me, vampire."

Hibari was yanked down beneath the water, and Fran wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him down deeper. The vampire held his breath, watching the tail move gracefully up and down. Fran took him into an underwater cave, and he was dragged down inside the rock tunnel, before suddenly being pulled back up. Then, strangely enough, he surfaced together with Fran. Hibari quickly caught his breath, and looked around. The cave walls had all been smoothed out, and mosaics were imprinted on them.

"This is pretty much the most entertainment we get," Fran said. "Swimming around, looking for colored rocks, and then surfacing here and sticking the rocks into the walls. Squalo's not really into it, but Bluebell and I have done some pretty good ones, if I do say so myself."

"Yeah," Hibari agreed, looking at the brown and gray pictures. He smirked when he saw one that reminded him of someone.

"What?" Fran said.

"Nothing, it's just that that one over there looks a lot like that werewolf, Belphegor."

The merman blushed a little. "All right, now, there's nothing wrong with that, now is there?"

"Wait, seriously? You, an artistic, graceful merman, are making pictures of a werewolf?" Hibari questioned. The other's blush darkened slightly.

"Hey, don't judge me; I can drown you," he muttered.

"I'm sorry, I'm just really suprised," Hibari chuckled. "I didn't think that you'd be into him."

"It's not like that, fangs, I just think Bel's pretty. Got it?" Fran said, an edge to his voice. "From the tank, I can look into the observation area. And I tell you, that werewolf is one hell of a guy."

"Hn," Hibari grunted. Suddenly, a third person surtfaced, someone who Hibari recognized as Bluebell.

"Fran! Get that thing out of here! Dino thinks that you're attacking him!" she protested, and Hibari blushed when he felt someone's tail brush against his legs.

"All right, fine," Fran sighed. "C'mon, vampire."

Hibari took a hold on Fran as he dove down beneath the water. They went through the tunnel again, barely fitting through as two people. After a slow swim that almost burst the vampire's lungs, they resurfaced, and Fran shoved Hibari up onto the rocks. "I was just showing him around!" he told Dino, making sure he splashed the tamer before he went back under.

"Man, Hibarin, I'm glad you're all right," Dino sighed. "Sorry, those guys can be pretty mischievous. You aren't hurt, are you?"

"I'm fine," Hibari said, panting slightly. "Just... a little... wet."

"Okay, look, if you stay in those clothes, you're going to catch a cold, so come here, we'll get you changed."

The vampire sighed and allowed Dino to take him back, but had to pause at the tank to put his hand on the glass, where on the opposite side, Fran was doing the same. Hibari felt a sort of mutual trust with the merman; they were both different from what was typical of their kind, and they both enjoyed beautiful sights. The vampire decided that he could be friends with Fran.

Dino tugged on the leash when Hibari slowed down. "Come on, Hibarin," he sighed, "this isn't the slow lane."

Hibari snorted and kept walking, even though that damn leash was so belittling. The vampire continued until they reached their section of the underground lab, and Dino sighed, untying the vampire's cape. "What are you doing?" Hibari asked, stepping back and grabbing the cloth.

"You're completely soaked," Dino said, "so we need to get you into something else."

"I can undress myself," Hibari said, tossing his drenched cloak into the cage, before stepping in with Basil. "Go away."

"Hibarin, what exactly do you plan to wear after you're undressed, hm?"

"I dunno, Basil, you'll lend me something, right?"

"I suppose, Lord Hibarin," Basil mumbled, reaching to take off his own cape. Dino cleared his throat.

"That's okay, Basil, I'll give him my coat-"

"You know what?" Hibari said. "I think I'll just use my body heat to make it through. So go on, Dino. I'll be fine."

Dino sighed, and locked the cage, before walking out. Relieved, Hibari put his soaked cape back on. "Heh. Worrying about me getting a cold... what an herbivore."

"Lord Hibari, art thou sure that thy body won't sicken from thy current condition?" Basil murmured. Hibari waved his hand in dismissal.

"I'm fine, I'm fine," he insisted. "Don't worry about it." But the younger vampire was quite the nosey one. When Hibari began to feel cold, and he started to quiver, Basil crawled over and untied the cape. He slid the wet fabric off of Hibari's shoulders, before coming in and beginning to unbutton his shirt. "I'll just be colder without my clothes on," Hibari muttered, "stop it."

Basil ignored him, and took off his shirt, before wrapping his arms around the larger body and hugging him. "Take my warmth, Lord Hibarin. It might not be much, however, I wish not for thee to become ill."

Hibari sighed, and leaned into the warm, dry body, allowing himself to drop a little pride and return the embrace. What he didn't notice as he was allowing himself to be warmed, was the door cracking open, the smile of the hunter, and the jealousy in his eyes.

-**End Chapter**

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><p>PHEW! Me and my inspiration, my gawsh. Still looking for pairings, right now, it looks like there'll be some 5927, B59, B26, 1869, and so forth. :)<p>

Keep reviewin'! I really... like this story... 8)


	6. The Wounded

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Six: The Wounded**

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><p>Hibari woke softly at the sound of voices, but he didn't get up, for he didn't want to disturb Basil, who had fallen asleep by his side. Hibari just listened, and began to wonder at what he heard.<p>

"Mukuro, I understand how you feel, but its not right. He's a monster, remember?"

"I came to you because I know how you feel for them... for all of them. I know how much you like these animals- you must know how serious I am."

"Yeah, but this is what we meant to happen. If those two become mates, the Science Department will more than likely be able to learn about their reproductive habits, and we'll be able to prevent the deaths of vampires who are simply protecting their loved ones."

"And what if I don't care?"

The voices began to rise, and Hibari moved slightly to cover Basil's ears. If the younger vampire woke up, without a doubt, those two would stop their extremely intresting situation. "D-don't care?" Dino's paniced voice made Hibari's intrest rise. He could tell that they were discussing his growing bond with Basil, but he didn't understand what much of Mukuro's words meant.

"I'm sorry, Dino, but I... I gave him blood, all right?"

"Mukuro!"

"Yeah, I know! I know! I couldn't help it! He said he was starving, and I couldn't resist those eyes... have you seen his eyes? Those gorgeous, steel-"

"This isn't like you to break the rules, Mukuro, you know we aren't allowed to give blood, and that's final! What if he bonded with you, too?"

"That's the point! I don't want to let Basil have him! Look, he's a monster, I know that, I'm fully aware. But if our feelings are... mutual?"

"You're crazy, Mukuro! Insane! Look at him! Do you see the muscle beneath his skin? He's a vampire! He could tear you apart in moments."

"I know, already!" Mukuro shouted, making Hibari flinch.

"All right, all right, let's lower our voices. Vampires are really deep sleepers, but if we scream, it won't do any good. Look, I need to go let the centaurs into the grazing area. Help me lead them down the ramp and we can continue to discuss this. If you don't, I'll assume you've dropped these ridiculous feelings."

"... I won't go," Mukuro murmured. "But it'll take a while for me to accept that this is the only way."

"Just keep telling yourself, Mukuro. He's a monster. They all are. You're a hunter, so you should know it, too. Why, just yesterday, Bel and Gokudera almost killed me."

"How did you escape?"

There was a pause.

"That's irrelevant. I'm going to let out the centaurs."

"Fine."

"Can I tag along, Dino?" Hibari asked, sitting up and easing Basil on to the ground.

"Ah, Hibarin! How long have you been awake?" Dino asked, eyes wide.

"Not long," Hibari replied, standing. "But I'm really hungry... and I wouldn't mind hunting while the centaurs are around."

"Well, okay, I guess," Dino said, unlocking the cage. "You're a curious one, aren't you?"

"Love to learn," Hibari said with a shrug as a leash was clipped onto him.

"All right, but you have to go back in when its the werewolves' turn. Okay?"

"Yeah."

"Later, Mukuro," Dino said, "lock the cage for us."

"Sure," Mukuro sighed. Dino and Hibari walked up several stairs, before they came out to the pasture that Hibari had seen before with Mukuro.

"Hey, since you're here, do you want to help me lead them down the ramp?" Dino asked.

"Ramp?" the vampire repeated. He looked around, and soon saw a large walkway that led into the wide, feeding area. "Oh. All right."

"Haha. Just watch me, Hibarin."

Dino leapt over the fence and whistled, before saying, "Hey, Byakuran! C'mon, big boy, you're coming first."

The white halfbreed began to walk over, even though his eyes were sharp, and he beat his wings several times in an offensive sort of way. Dino took a step forward, knelt down, and held out his hand, making Hibari wonder what the hell was wrong with him. After all, Byakuran looked like he wanted nothing to do with the tamer, and he also had perfect potential to smash the blonde's head. But then, the centaur reached out, and obediently took his hand, his wings tucking back in towards his body. Dino stood upright, nodded, and opened the gate to the enclosure, before giving the following appaloosa a glance. Kikyo pawed the ground with a forehoof, his arms crossed. He clearly didn't want Byakuran to be lead out without him.

"Hibarin, think you can take Kikyo?" Dino asked. The vampire hopped the fence and took a few steps towards the spotted centaur, then knelt down, his hand extended. He could just barely see the centaur stepping forward with the position he was in, and he sighed with relief when his hand was taken. Hibari stood back up, but immediately, Kikyo reared up, kicking out with his forelegs. "Back, Hibarin!" Dino shouted. The prefect leapt backwards, barely avoiding the hooves.

As the centaur continued to kick in the air, he shouted, "Are you kidding me? That's a freaking _vampire!"_

"Kikyo, calm yourself!" Dino said, releasing Byakuran's hand and getting his whip. "Down! Get down!"

"Get that thing away from me!" Kikyo yelled, "I'm not touching that vampire!"

_"Kikyo."_

Even though the voice was calm, it was just loud enough. Kikyo tried to settle down immediately, looking at the hybrid who had turned around and glared at him. "I want to go eat," Byakuran said, his amethyst eyes stern. The appaloosa with long teal hair looked worriedly at Hibari, and was about to say something, when Byakuran cut him off. "If your so scared, the vampire will lead me, and Dino will lead you. Is that okay?"

"... Yes, Lord Byakuran."

Byakuran walked over to Hibari and held out his hand, which the ravenette hesitantly took. Meanwhile, Dino took Kikyo's hand, and said, "Okay, Kyoya, now just help them down the ramp. Going downhill is difficult for centaurs."

Hibari nodded and walked through the gate, Byakuran by his side. He couldn't help but wonder how the centaur's pelt could stay so sleek and white, when they all galloped around a huge, dusty pasture. The swaying horse body was right beside him, so he didn't have much choice on what to think about. "I'm half pegasus," Byakuran murmured.

"Hn?" Hibari grunted, glancing at the serious-eyed halfbreed.

"That's why my hide is spotless," Byakuran said. "My kind have a purity trait. You'll never see a dirty pegasus."

"How did you know I was wondering?" Hibari asked. The hybrid smirked.

"Everyone does."

The two continued down the ramp until they reached level ground, and Byakuran released the ravenette's hand, gave a short bow, and galloped into the cave where the vampires, werewolves, and centaurs all fed. Kikyo soon followed, and Dino started back up the ramp. "Takeshi and Ryohei are going to be easier to deal with. But I'll take Ryohei, because he's a little hyperactive, and likes to take the ramp at a trot. On the other hand, Takeshi is really mild and friendly, so you can help him down."

"All right," Hibari replied, looking out into the pasture. The silver centaur was galloping around the field, shouting something that Hibari couldn't even clarify. "That's Ryohei, right?" Hibari asked.

"Yeah...," Dino sighed. "Ryohei! Calm down, I'm going to take you down to the grazing area, all right? Come on!"

Ryohei slid, literally slid to a stop, and turned, before trotting up to the blonde with a huge smile on his face. "I'll race you down the ramp!"

"Oh, no, we can't run," Dino insisted, "Nothing more than a trot. Go get Takeshi, Kyoya, he's in the back!"

Hibari walked to the back of the pasture to see the ebony centaur, lying down in the grass and trying to stand. He grunted with pain, and reached a hand out, brushing it over his left foreleg. "Man, I shouldn't have lied down in the first place. Ugh..." Hibari reached out and took the centaur's hand.

"Here, I'll help you up, just try and get-"

"No, see, my leg is..." Hibari looked at the limb more closely, and brushed his hand down it, pausing when he felt dampness in the fur.

"What happened?" he asked.

"Well, Ryohei was galloping around and he kicked a rock up, and it just smashed right into my leg here... I tried to sleep it off, but now it hurts to try and get up."

"I understand," Hibari said, coming around the other direction and bending down. He moved his hands beneath the centaur's body and lifted, muttering, "Just try and get on your feet, Takeshi..."

The centaur groaned, shifting as Hibari pushed him up, before unsteadily getting on to all fours. "Woah, you're strong!" he announced. He then saw Hibari taking off his tie, and asked, "What are you doing?"

"That needs to heal," Hibari said, indicating to the injured foreleg. Takeshi picked the leg up as Hibari knelt beside it, and watched as the vampire wrapped the cloth around the wound, before tying it in place. "There," he said. "The smell was bothering me, anyway."

"Woah, thanks, uh... Hibarin, right?"

"Yeah," Hibari answered. The centaur then wrapped his arms around the vampire's shoulders and hugged tightly.

"Man, you're the best," he said in a cheerful voice. Hibari gently pushed the halfbreed back, before taking his hand.

"Okay, come on, you want to graze, right?" Takeshi smiled, and the two headed back down to the grazing and hunting enclosure. Dino sighed with relief when they got to the bottom of the ramp.

"What took you two?" he asked. Takeshi lifted his injured foreleg.

"Hibarin helped me out with a little injury. I'm okay now, thanks to him!"

"Really? Well that's...," Dino trailed off, for the dark-pelted centaur had already trotted into the enclosure. "That's nice," he sighed. "Thanks, Kyoya."

"Anytime," Hibari replied. "Like I said... I really like to learn."

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Wow. All the way to chapter six, in one day! Hehehe~<p>

More reviews, please~! I'm really enjoying myself. :)


	7. The Abused

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Seven: The Abused**

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><p><em>A Couple Days Later...<em>

***achoo!***

"Hibarin! Come over here!"

The vampire walked over to the observation area and sighed. "Yes, Dino?" "That's about the ninth time you've sneezed in the past half hour. I think you've got yourself a cold," Dino said while a couple of ladies behind him giggled. "And I think its about time I took you into the lab so that Chrome can see how bad it is."

"It'll pass," Hibari said. "I'm fine."

"No, I don't want you getting Basil sick, too. Besides, the last sick vampire we had got so grumpy, we had to have him shot."

The laughing in the back stopped immediately, and Hibari took the silence as an opportunity to say, "It's not that bad, I feel all right."

"Now, Hibarin, it's never good to allow someone- especially a vampire- to get sick. If they don't get tempermental, then they accidently bite themselves when they sneeze, they get others sick, or it gets really bad and they die. Got it? I'm taking you to Chrome the second hunting's over."

"I'll take him," Mukuro said as he stopped at the observation area. "It's my reason he got pulled into the merpeople tank."

"What was he doing with the merpeople?" a guest asked. Another squealed.

"He wasn't sucking their blood, was he? Poor Bluebell!"

"No, he was just curious," Mukuro replied.

"Oh, so he's pretty smart, I guess, if he feels curiosity," they said. "He's kind of like a lost little puppy, isn't he?"

Hibari, already annoyed that he'd lost all say in the matter, grabbed the bars of the cage and hissed loudly, making everyone take a step back and listen to him. "First of all, _never_ call me that. And second, I don't need to see Chrome, I'm perfectly... per... puh... uh..."

***achoo!***

"See, Hibarin, you're not fine," Mukuro said, reaching through the bars and holding the vampire's cheek. "All they'd do is give you something to take, like a pill. Okay?"

"Fine," Hibari muttered, a little embarassed by his badly timed sneeze.

"All right, ladies, let's go to see the merpeople, c'mon, they just got fed..." Dino led the small crowd away, and as the observer's gate began to close, Mukuro tried to get the rest of his information through quickly.

"I'll pick you up the second you reenter the vampire enclosure, all right?"

"Yeah," Hibari said, before turning around and walking over to the pond. He was about to bend over to hunt when someone suddenly burst out of the pond, before landing on the grass. "What the-"

"Shh. Fran and Bluebell might be able to withstand those screaming girls, but I can't take it," said the person, gruffly. Hibari watched as the merman sat up, keeping his tail in the water, and sighed, running a hand through his long, silver hair. "I'm just going to hang here for a bit."

"Since when was there a path here from the merpeople's tank?" Hibari asked.

"There always has been," Squalo answered. "That damned tamer actually did something useful when he made this. Only problem is sometimes the werewolves fall into the pond and end up half-drowned in our tank."

Hibari chuckled, and sat upright. "Hey, is it true that you can become human when you're completely on land?"

"I dunno, but even if it is, I'm not going to try," the merman muttered. "I'd rather die then beach myself."

The vampire sighed, then looked over at Basil, who was waiting beside the enclosure door with a bored look on his face as he ate a fish. Hibari then stood, wished Squalo luck in avoiding the observers, and walked over to the other vampire. He took a seat beside Basil and wrapped an arm around his shoulders. "You tired?" he asked quietly.

"I'm not so fond of the other species," Basil whispered, "I was nearly drowned by a merman once, nearly shredded by a werewolf, trampled by a centaur. And just when I thought I'd avoided it all, I got captured by Mukuro and thrown into this prison."

"They aren't so bad," Hibari said, trying to cheer the young vampire up.

Basil shook his head. "You settled in quickly. But... thou did not have me. I didn't have a nice vampire to get used to, I had a heartless, abusive vampire named... Xanxus."

Hibari thought he saw Squalo perk up at that name, but he ignored him. "What was he like?" The younger vampire shuddered and hugged himself.

"First of all, he was always really angry. He constantly tried to attack Dino and Mukuro, and he hissed every time anyone came close to him. He swore a lot, he threw things... and several times... he couldn't control his instincts and he'd just suddenly bite me... I still have a scar on the back of my neck. It was a living hell for me, and it still is, even though now he's locked away where he can't hurt anyone."

"Xanxus is still alive?" gasped the merman, now on his stomach, listening to the story. Basil nodded.

"He's a little further underground. He was so wild that they couldn't neccessarily shoot him, so now he's in a cage much stronger than these."

Squalo reached up and placed a hand over his neck. "That guy bit me once, too," he said quietly. "Thought I was a fish."

"Well I'm glad I wasn't alive for that," Hibari sighed. "But its better now, right, Basil?"

"It won't be better until I can leave the cage freely and go out to hunt my own food."

Hibari sighed, and embraced the young vampire. "It's all right, Basil. I would never have wanted to be caged down, but here, I can learn about all of the other creatures that humans have called 'supernatural.' I can learn everything I couldn't learn in the wild."

"Well that's good for thyself," Basil muttered, before burying his face in his folded arms. "Let me alone for now, Lord Hibarin."

Just after he said that, the door opened for the vampires to return to the enclosure, as well as the gate to the centaurs' ramp. Squalo immediately left, and Basil retired to the cage immediately, whereas Hibari wanted to see how Takeshi was doing, so he waited. Soon after, Byakuran galloped into the enclosure, then slowed to a trot, stretching, when he noticed Hibari. "Oh? The vampire's here," he said to Kikyo, who instantly moved to the opposite end of the enclosure. Ryohei ran in just a few moments later, and he didn't slow down in the slightest once he was inside the enclosure, he just began to gallop in circles, shouting something that Hibari didn't even bother to hear. He glanced at Byakuran as he lied downand began to talk to his friend, then back to the entrance when he heard gentle, uneven hooffalls. Takeshi came out into the enclosure, limping on his left foreleg, and he was about to head over to the pond when Hibari called him.

"Hibarin, what're you doing here?" Takeshi questioned, walking over.

"How's your leg?" Hibari asked, getting straight to the point.

"Oh, great!" the centaur replied. "It's been healing quickly, but its still a bit sore. I'll wash your tie and give it back if you want-"

"You can keep it," the vampire replied. "I'm fine."

Takeshi smiled, and patted Hibari on the head, only annoying him a little. "You're pretty nice for a vampire, ya know that?"

Hibari chuckled and brushed the ebony centaur's hand off of him, and said, "I suppose I better-"

"Hibarin! Get into the vampire enclosure! Seriously!" Dino shouted as he opened the observation area.

"I better go," Hibari finished, "get well soon."

"I will, thanks to you!" Takeshi answered, before rearing up. "Go on now, Hibarin~."

Hibari stepped back to avoid the deadly hooves at first, then grinned awkwardly at Takeshi and passed through the tunnel back into the vampire cage. Sometimes, those centaurs were just a tad reckless for him. "What were you doing?" Mukuro asked, opening the cage door. "Hibarin, you could've been killed- those guys are easily spooked!"

"Yeah, whatever," Hibari muttered as the hunter leashed him. "Y'know, at this point, isn't it kind of silly to keep putting this dumb thing on me?"

"No, Hibarin. It's not," Mukuro replied, before tugging on him. "Let's go." The vampire sighed and stepped out of the cage, waiting for Mukuro to close and lock the door again before they started towards the science department. "Hibarin... er... I have a question for you."

"Yeah?"

"Do you... like Basil? Are you going to eventually take him as your mate?" Mukuro asked.

"... Probably... eventually," Hibari mumbled, blushing. Suddenly, he was turned, and pressed into the wall. "Mu-"

"Shh," the hunter hushed, before kissing the vampire. Hibari struggled, however, and Mukuro backed off. "Listen... I want you to be resistant to this. Don't get any closer to Basil. Okay?"

"Mukuro... are you possibly...," Hibari began, a little breathless. He soon found his voice again, and finished, "jealous?"

Mukuro's eyes were stern and mean when the vampire spoke, and Hibari grunted as a gloved hand flashed across his face, making a sting well up in his cheek. "Don't start," Mukuro hissed. He grabbed the leash, and yanked, and Hibari stumbled into a walk, reaching a hand up and rubbing his face where he'd been hit.

It had been an innocent question- Hibari meant Mukuro no offense in any way. He had asked the question because he wanted the answer. But something changed in that moment. A fine ounce of trust was lost, for the vampire now felt that Mukuro could attack him with ease, despite the blood bond that had connected them. That thought made him a little fearful.

He didn't like to think that it was unsafe there.

"Chrome," Mukuro called, "Hibarin has a cold. Can we have some pills for-"

***achoo!***

"... a runny nose?" the hunter finished, brushing off his shoulder as Hibari quietly apologized.

"Oh, sure, I'll be right there," Chrome replied, walking away. Hunter and vampire waited patiently for a while, before Mukuro could hardly stand listening to the sounds of other scientists' keyboards.

"Spanner, what are you working on?" Mukuro asked.

"Reports on the merpeople," Spanner replied. "None of them have taken an intrest in another, except Fran keeps watching the werewolves during their feeding time. I think we'll need to move them, soon. The plan was for Fran and Squalo to compete for Bluebell, but strangely enough, neither of them are intrested. They'll need no distractions in order to start interacting more."

Remembering the mosaic of Belphegor inside the merpeoples' cave, Hibari spoke up for Fran. "What if Fran wants to take a werewolf mate? Shouldn't you let him? I mean, it would be pretty intresting... right?"

Spanner shook his head. "That's inpossible. Gokudera and Belphegor need to be mates. There aren't any extra werewolves just floating around, you know."

Hibari sighed. He shouldn't have asked.

"I'm back," said Chrome. "Okay, Hibarin, just take a pill twice a day for three days and you should be fine." She handed the vampire a bottle with the cold medication, and the vampire bowed slightly.

"Thank you," he said.

"C'mon, Hibarin... back to the enclosure," Mukuro sighed, pulling on the leash.

Hibari reached up and touched the metallic collar. "I don't want to go back to the enclosure. I want to go see outside."

"_Come on_, Hibari Natsu Kyoya II," Mukuro muttered. Hibari paused.

"_No_."

Almost the second the word left his mouth, a shock passed through the leash and was transmitted into his neck. He yelped, collapsing, for it didn't even feel like a warning spark- it _hurt!_

"Hibarin."

Hibari stood, trembling, and followed Mukuro back to the enclosure.

He was beginning to understand Basil's feelings.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>This is kinda long, ne? Please review!<p> 


	8. The Protected

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Eight: The Protected**

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><p><em>The Next morning<em>

"All right, guys, go on in," Mukuro said as the doors opened.

Hibari and Basil walked into the hunting area, just as Dino burst into the room, shouting, "No, wait...!"

The second the two entered, Hibari could smell something really good, and it immediately made him quiver. Basil, however, ignored it, and went to fish, as though it was a normal occurence to smell blood in the hunting grounds. But Hibari couldn't handle the temptation. He followed the scent until he found the source- an injured werewolf. He identified it to be Hayato, scratched up and bitten like he and Belphegor had gotten in a fight. His senses clouded by the delicious smell, Hibari bent over the werewolf and softly bit down on his neck, barely hearing the whimper that the other creature emitted.

Hibari gently sucked on the wound, swallowing mouthfuls of blood at a time. "G-get off," Hayato breathed, "stupid vampire..."

The vampire answered the voice with a quiet moan, trying to tell the werewolf how much he was enjoying the taste of him. Hibari continued to drink for a while longer, ignoring the distant pleas from Dino for him to stop, and not caring when the tamer's arms locked around his own, pulling him back. As his body was yanked backwards, his jaws tightened around Hayato's shoulder, and his body was heaved up as well. The werewolf whined gently, trying to support himself as the fangs pulled his skin taut, threatening to tear it off.

Finally, a voice broke through. "Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _get off_ _him, or I'll shoot!"_

Hibari's jaws opened instinctively, and the werewolf dropped down, then hurriedly scooted back, before his eyes suddenly rolled back and he passed out. Hibari looked behind him, and licked his lips, picking up some more of the sweet liquid as it dribbled down his chin. Dino was standing there, relieved that Hibari had parted from his victim, but definite disappointment shone in his eyes.

"Hibarin, why did you...?"

Hibari looked back to Hayato, who was still unconcious, and murmured, "But I smelled blood," in an innocent voice that made the tamer sigh.

"Look, you've got to control yourself," Dino said, placing a hand on the vampire's shoulder. "If you don't... what are you looking at?"

"Hm?" Hibari looked away from the pooling blood by the werewolf's neck and back to Dino. "You said something?"

"Mukuro! Carry Hayato back to the lab and get him treated! I need to show Hibarin something," Dino called to the hunter who was simply passing by. Mukuro rushed in when he saw the unconscious werewolf, and Dino leashed Hibarin, before leading him out of the hunting area. "Sorry, Hibarin, but you've had enough of a meal," the blonde sighed, opening another door that was very well disguised with the wall. They walked in, and Dino had to light a lamp, and the two walked down a flight of stairs in pitch-black darkness aside from the dim light of the flame. Soon after they reached the bottom, they came up to a cage, and Dino unlocked the door, then opened it, indicating for Hibari to enter. The vampire nervously did so, and the gate closed behind him. "A day down here and you'll be as tame as Basil," Dino said, starting to leave. "Sorry, Hibarin. Looks like you fooled us all."

Becoming excessively nervous, Hibari looked around the cage, his silvery eyes glowing slightly as he adjusted to the darkness. Then, he smelled it. A strong, rancid odor that made him wince. A couple footsteps, and a low growl, before the mysterious being grunted, "Who are you?"

"Me? Hibarin," Hibari said, still looking for the source of the sound. "Who are YOU?" A hand touched his shoulder.

"You're thin. I could crunch you up like a bird," it said, making Hibari jump in fright. "Hehe... let me take your blood..." Hibari could feel someone holding his wrist, lifting it up, and he could feel breathing as they waited, before an abrupt and piercing pain shot through his hand. A sickening crunch could be heard, and then another chuckle. "So weak." Hibari felt cold lips nursing on the wound in his hand, and he blinked. When he reopened his eyes, he had fully adjusted to the dark. His hand was between bars into a seperate cage, and the being who had taunted and bitten him was now in full sight. He had spiky, black hair, scars running over his face, and the reddest eyes Hibari had ever seen. Terrified, Hibari pulled his hand back, yelping when some of his skin snagged on a fang and tore off. Hibari looked at his bloodied hand, trembling, and looked back at the other vampire, who had begun to rattle the bars. "Get back over here, kid, I wasn't done with you!" he roared. "I need more blood! Give it to me, damn it!"

In order to get rid of the strong, iron smell of his blood, Hibari sat down and batted dirt up from the ground into his hand, trying to seal the deep wound unnaturally. He gasped with pain at the feeling of rock salt on the open wound, then began to cry, cradling his wrist as he whimpered over the pain of his hand. "What the hell's wrong with you?" Hibari asked in a paniced voice. "It... it hurts, you pathetic excuse for a vampire!"

The other laughed dryly, before kicking dirt and rocks through the bars of the two cages, hissing, "And what are you? You're but an ugly duckling, caught by a lion!" Hibari looked up into the cruel, soulless eyes, trembling slightly when he heard the insult. Never had another vampire called him weak before, and it hurt, for Hibari now knew that it was true. The crunched bones in his hand made that evident. The smaller vampire quivered in fear at the loud, cruel voice that continued to assault his ears, amplified by the walls of the cave. "You unsightly pidgeon! You just wait until I get my hands on you! I'll tear you to pieces! You're going to die, weakling! I'm going to kill you!"

"Stop!" Hibari yelled. "Shut up!"

"Xanxus, that's _enough_," said someone from another part of the cave.

"Huh?" the wild-eyed vampire grunted "Who said that?"

Neither vampire knew what was going on, but both could hear a watery sound, and then, wet footsteps. "I was wondering where the hell you went, Xanxus," said the voice. "So you were here." Hibari gasped, finally seeing the newcomer. It was Squalo, wearing only a thin, scaly material around his waist. "By the way, Hibarin, it would seem that that thing was true. I certainly do have legs, now don't I?"

"The hell you doing here, shark trash?" Xanxus growled. "Thought I killed you years ago."

"You thought that a little nibble on the neck would kill me? Then you are poorly mistaken," Squalo said. "But if you'll excuse me, I'm not here to help you."

Squalo picked the lock to Hibari's cage with what looked like a small dagger, and the vampire quickly came out. "Thank you," he said more sincerely than he ever had before.

"Whatever, vampire, Fran wanted me to help you out. Said I'd get to see Xanxus, and indeed I have. Xanxus, or should I call you boss? I'm going to lead the vampire back to my place, and then I'll come back out here and we can catch up."

Squalo held Hibari's shoulders, and brought him up to a tunnel. "I've been digging this damn thing for years, waiting for the chance to come down here and see Xanxus. Well, Fran saw you being led in here and informed me of the situation, so here I am."

Hibari wiped at his eyes, and nodded, and the merman backed into his chest. "Hurry up and hold on so I can get you into the merpeople tank." Hibari hugged the merman with only slight hesitance, and Squalo quickly dove into the tunnel, almost losing Hibari with the swift move. The thin, blubbery material around his hips extended and widened into a dolphin tail, and Squalo began to swim quickly, Hibari hanging on for dear life. They soon came out into the merpeople's tank, but then Squalo made another turn into the rock tunnel, and took Hibari into the depths of a cave, where a huge air pocket remained. As soon as they surfaced, Hibari saw Fran, and, after catching his breath, he happily greeted the other merman as Squalo turned and left.

"Man, look at your hand," Fran groaned, "here, lemme see." Hibari held out his wounded hand, and Fran sighed, muttering something about the blood mixing with the water, before he dragged Hibari up to a stone area and pulled him up so that he was practically sitting in the merman's lap. "You ever hear about merpeople's songs having healing powers?" Fran asked.

"Yeah?" Hibari replied, getting hopeful.

"Well it's a load of crap," Fran said. "I can't do anything about this."

Hibari sighed, and tried to inch himself off of the slippery dolphin tail, but Fran held him firmly in place. "You're already sick as it is. Stay up here. And lose the clothes; they only make you colder. Hibari couldn't really protest as the merman stripped him to his undergarments and set his clothes on the rest of the rock. Fran then hugged him tightly, and said, "Here, I'll keep you warm until Dino comes looking for you."

Hibari sighed.

It was going to be a long wait.

* * *

><p><em>Approximately Three Hours Later...<em>

"It's up, Fran, gotta return the vampire to Dino," said Squalo, before pausing. "The hell's going on here?"

"Just me, him and a little man hug. Why?" Fran asked.

"All right, just get him out of here, would you?" Squalo said. "Vampires and water don't mix, Fran."

Hibari got the sense that Squalo wasn't just talking about literal water when he said water, but he didn't say anything on the matter. "Don't get any funny ideas, Squalo, you know I've got a crush on the werewolf, I'm a pretty decent guy, too, I don't cheat."

"Well Poseidon knows you're damn desperate," Squalo snickered. "Give Hibarin back to Dino."

"Fine," Fran said, shoving Hibari's clothes into his arms and lifting the vampire into the water. "C'mon, Hibarin," he sighed. Hibari held onto his clothes in one hand and onto Fran's shoulder with the other, and it wasn't long before they surfaced again at the top of the tank.

"Hibarin!" Dino said. "What the hell are you doing in there?"

Hibari held out his injured hand, overjoyed that he wasn't in saltwater. "I don't want to go back," he murmured. Dino sighed.

"Sorry, boy, those are the rules. If you've got to withstand a night with Xanxus in order to be tamed, so be it," he replied. "That's how it's always been for vampires."

"You're not putting him back with that maniac," Fran said, swimming out in front of the vampire and holding out his arms. "He's too much like me. I can't let him get hurt."

"In what way is Hibarin like you, Fran?" Dino asked, kneeling down at the water's edge. Fran paused, then leaned back, and smacked the surface of the water with his tail, splashing the tamer.

"First of all, he's different from the others," Fran said. He slapped the water again. "Second of all, he's not intrested in his own species." He did it a third time, this time managing to completely soak Dino in a wave of water. "Third of all, he's always putting on a tough face! Get it now, airhead?"

Dino held up his arms in defense, then, when he realized that Fran was finished, said, "All right, fine, he'll go back to the vampire enclosure." Fran splashed him again. "What was that for?" the tamer protested.

"You keep feeding us the same dumb diet. It was basically for good measure."

Dino groaned and reached out a hand. "Come here, Hibarin." Hibari hesitantly reached out and took the offered hand with his uninjured one. He was pulled up onto the rocks, and Dino sighed. "And now you're staying in the tank almost naked? You're crazy!"

Hibari mouthed a thank you to Fran, who grinned and submerged again so that he could squish his face into the glass as Hibari and Dino passed by the lower part of the tank on their way back to the vampire enclosure. Hibari smiled to himself.

He'd found himself a pretty nice friend.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Okay! And that's that. :) This'll be my last chapter before school starts again... bummer.<p>

Please Review!


	9. The Winged

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Nine: The Winged**

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><p>"Hibarin! C'mere, I've got something for you," Dino said, opening the cage, a leash in his hand. Hibari allowed the chain to be clipped around him, and Dino led him out of the enclosure. "Listen, Byakuran has healing powers, and I'm going to have him treat your hand. I know he's a bit... indifferent. We never do this, either.<p>

Byakuran and you have already formally met, so I'm assuming you and he will be all right. Just make sure you bow upon approaching him. A pegasus is a very proud animal, and he has that blood in him."

"Okay," Hibari said as they started up the stairs.

"Just state your purpose, and more than likely he'll be all right. Don't look into his eyes, if anything, watch the hooves," Dino added.

"Okay," Hibari repeated. They came up to the pasture, and Hibari saw that most of the centaurs were resting. Ryohei was rearing up and taking uncertain steps on his hind legs as Takeshi watched and encouraged him, and Byakuran and Kikyo were beneath the large tree in the center of it all, quietly talking to one another. Hibari hopped the fence, the leash slipping from Dino's grip as he made the move. The entire pasture fell dead silent as the vampire made his way towards Byakuran, and Kikyo, as if still fearing him, stood and practically sped-walked away from the area. Byakuran also stood, but he waited, his eyes sharp. The ravenette immediately remembered what Dino had said, and his eyes darted to the ground, and he walked until he could see the light, skin-tone hooves, then bowed. Once he came back up, Byakuran pawed the ground once and bowed again, but only slightly as if to acknowledge the move.

"Is there... something you want from me?" Byakuran asked.

"My hand was broken by a fierce vampire, and I was hoping you could heal me," Hibari said.

"... Look up, vampire, I've given permit," the hybrid replied. The vampire hesitantly looked up, and met the halfbreed's eyes, almost startled by the stunning, amethyst eyes looking straight at him. Byakuran held out his hand. "You healed Takeshi. You helped me into the grazing pasture. Come, vampire, I'll give you back what has been damaged."

Hibari took the hand with his injured one, and Byakuran pulled him close, then took off the cast, making the vampire wince. He then sat down, and quietly told the vampire to sit beside him. Hibari did so, and immediately, a large, soft, white wing lied over him, almost cradling his body. "Clear your mind. Relax," Byakuran murmured. The vampire closed his eyes as the feathery limb started to glow, and he could almost feel his body recovering from fatigue, hunger, and injury. As the pleasant feeling overcame him, he began to doze...

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><p><em>Four hours later...<em>

Slowly, Hibari woke up. He could feel something like a blanket lying across him, but he quickly realized it was Byakuran's wing. He glanced up at the hybrid, then, seeing that he, too, had fallen asleep, tried to move his hand. He was very successful, in fact, he accidentally brushed against Byakuran when he moved. The amethyst eyes snapped open, but Byakuran quickly calmed himself, and murmured, "You all better, vampire?"

Hibari nodded. "Thank you," he said. Byakuran nodded and lifted his wing, before tucking it into his body.

"You owe me one. Next time you see me, don't have that bloodlust in your eyes. It's quite intimidating." The vampire smiled, and hugged the centaur for a brief moment, but Byakuran pushed him back. "Don't," he said. "I prefer not to be touched."

Although slightly crestfallen, Hibari backed off, and stood, then bowed at the hybrid. "Thanks again."

"Mm hm. Bring some snacks next time, healing gets boring after a while," Byakuran called as the vampire began to leave. Hibari hopped the fence, then suddenly realized something. No tamers were around, he was outside his enclosure... he was free! A burst of liberation enlightened the vampire, and he turned back to the centaur enclosure, and whistled for them. All four came up to the fence, and Hibari opened the gate. "We're free," he breathed. Immediately, Byakuran reared up and spread his wings, then ran from the enclosure at full speed, Kikyo close behind. They leapt down from the ledges and ran, and soon, Ryohei was following. Takeshi just stood there, stunned.

"Why did you do that?" he asked.

"C'mon, Takeshi... imagine, freedom!" Hibari said, leaning over the fence. "I've got to go... I don't want to miss out!"

"Wait!" Takeshi shouted. Hibari stopped, and looked at him. The centaur shyly patted his back. "Want a lift?"

Hibari grinned. "This'll be new."

The vampire walked over to Takeshi and climbed on to his back, and the centaur smiled. "Hold on," he said. He started at a trot, then ran at full speed, before leaping down from a ledge. Hibari held on, and then pulled on the centaur when he heard someone shout his name. Takeshi stopped, and glanced behind him. "What?"

"Fran," Hibari murmured, looking at the merman who had thrown himself out of the water, without changing form.

"Damn this tail," Fran muttered, climbing over the rocky ground. "The hell are you doing while Mukuro and Dino are away? They trusted you with the centaurs, but now..."

"Well, why be caged when you can be free?" Hibari asked.

"Why? Because the humans are our friends!" Fran shouted. "Damn it, I know they're annoying, I know what they do! But... when it comes down to stay or leave... I would expect you to stay!"

Suddenly, Takeshi looked really guilty. "Merman's got a point," he mumbled. "I don't want to leave that badly."

"WHY WON'T THIS DOOR BREAK?" shouted something from up the stairs. "I can't put a dent in it!"

"Lord Byakuran, might I suggest using your hind legs..."

Takeshi reared up, sending Hibari on to the ground, and galloped in the direction of the voices, looking serious. Meanwhile, Hibari turned back to Fran. "Are... you all right?"

"Hibari, you must understand that that leg thing doesn't always work. Its a charm that a merperson must put on themself in order for it to work. I haven't done it. That's why I didn't come to save you yesterday. I couldn't." Fran slapped the ground with his tail to emphasise his point, and Hibari immediately saw the red stains bleeding into the dirt.

"Fran, you're bleeding!" he exlcaimed. The vampire lifted Fran and eased him against a wall. "Do you need to get back in, now?" he asked. The merman shook his head.

"I breathe air, and I wouldn't be in trouble unless the sun was out. Underground, my skin stays moist," he explained. "You should put down this dumb rebellion... before those two get back. Just consider... the humans want to learn about us so that they can treat us better. They're nicer than you think, Hibarin." Fran looked like he had more to say, but at that moment, Hibari could hear Takeshi calling for his assistance.

"Stay here," he ordered. He stood, and was about to hurdle himself into the fray when he realized that Byakuran was probably insanely strong. He turned, and walked into the werewolf enclosure. "You two! I need your help!"

"Is this about those hideous noises outside?" Belphegor asked, his wolf ears lying flat. Hibari walked over to the cage, and grabbed the lock, taking his knife from his jacket.

"If I free you, will you help me get the centaurs back into their enclosure?" Hibari asked.

"What's in it for us?" Bel said immediately.

"Hayato, I'll work hard to get you to see Tsunayoshi. And I'll also... give you both my full name."

Bel grinned widely, while Hayato thought for a moment. After a while, however, he couldn't resist. "Che. If it means that much to you, I guess I can help out."

Hibari picked the lock with his knife, and both werewolves joined the fight. Knowing Basil would become a rebel, Hibari didn't go to unleash him. The three came out to a set of stairs leading up to an enforced door, which Byakuran was bucking at with his hind legs. "Damn thing!" he shouted. "I have yet to even crack it!" Bel ran to tackle Kikyo, and Hayato dashed out and leapt at Ryohei. Meanwhile, Hibari decided that he would have to take on the hybrid. He made his way up the stairs, then stopped before Byakuran, and bowed. "What are you doing, vampire?" Byakuran asked. "I'm busy, can't you see?" Hibari stood back up, and met Byakuran's sharp stare.

"I was mistaken to free you guys! It's better here; we need to get back into the enclosures." Byakuran snorted at the words, and kicked the door again. This time, it was dented. Frustrated, Hibari put a hand on Byakuran's back and leapt up on to the centaur, his legs pinning the white wings to his body. Byakuran grunted at the weight on his back, then reared up, trying to throw Hibari into the door.

"Get off me!" he shouted, turning his human body to glare at Hibari. The ravenette reached forward, and fisted the hybrid's hair. His vampiric bloodlust was kicking in.

"If you don't listen to me, I'll bite," he murmured.

"Why the hell are you doing this after setting us free? Do you have any idea how long I've wanted to get out?"

Hibari rested his head on Byakuran's shoulder. "I won't hesitate to kill you once my fangs pierce your skin. I don't give a damn about science, I've heard pegasus blood is delicious, and I don't have an ounce of fear for a stupid horse like you."

Byakuran stared, his eyes wide, then, when Hibari's lips slowly drew back into a snarl, he leapt down the flight of stairs and began to run, before stopping at the steep steps back up to the centaur enclosure. Hibari pulled on the hybrid's pure white hair, directing him towards the observation area into the hunting and grazing enclosure, which had somehow been opened. Byakuran trotted into the place, looking disappointed, and Kikyo was fast to follow, being chased closely by Belphegor. Ryohei was next in, an impressive bite mark on his flank. The two werewolves ran out and closed the observation door as Hibari came back out, and the vampire smiled at them.

"Hibari Natsu Kyoya II. That's my full name," he said.

"Sweet!" Bel said, grinning widely. "Hibari Natsu Kyoya, bow to the prince!" Hibari stared, arching a brow, and the blonde tagged on, "The second!" Simply from his joy at having put down a rebellion, Hibari bowed to Belphegor, who bounced up and down like he'd won the lottery.

"Ugh..."

The trio turned, to see an injured merman lying on the ground. He had his head in his arms, and his chest was heaving dramatically as though he'd just swum a marathon. Bel walked over and knelt down beside the teal-tailed mammal. "You're that merman," he commented, "Fran, right?"

Fran looked up, blushing lightly, then nodded. "What do you care? I'm just a snack for your kind, right?"

The princely werewolf looked offended. "Me? Eat merpeople? Hell no." There was a moment of silence, as if both creatures were considering what the next chat would be about, when Bel reached an arm beneath Fran's tail and around his back, and lifted him up.

"What are you doing?" Fran asked immediately.

"You look pale," Bel replied. "I'm going to get you back in water."

Hayato glanced at Hibari, but looked away when there eyes met. "Che! You're pretty brave for a vampire."

"And you're pretty tsundere for a werewolf," Hibari replied with a smirk. "Sorry about biting you the other day."

"Don't worry about it. I've got the upper hand on you, now," Hayato answered, grinning, "Hibari Natsu Kyoya II."

"Heh. Careful. I can still bite at any moment."

"Doesn't matter," Hayato answered. "Hey, when were-"

"WHAT'S GOING ON HERE?"

Bel dropped Fran out of shock, who groaned and slapped his tail into the blonde werewolf's weak spot, sending him down as well. Hayato and Hibari stared, shocked, until Mukuro walked out quite close and grabbed Hibari by the collar. "Is this what a vampire does with trust? Throws it away and does whatever? Huh, Hibarin? There's a dent in the door, why don't you explain that?"

"Che! Calm down, stupid hunter!" Hayato snapped. "It wasn't his fault!"

"Y-yeah, he did what any of us would do," Bel groaned, before filling the rest of his lungs with insults towards the smirking merman beside him.

"I almost died," Fran said, overrunning the blonde's foul language.

"Fran!" shouted Dino, shoving past Mukuro and rushing to the merman's side. "Are you all right? Poor boy, what happened?"

"Well, first, Hibarin set the centaurs loose." Mukuro cuffed the vampire upside the head, so Fran quickly smacked the ground for attention. "And then he tried to hitchhike on the ebony-colored centaur, and then I leapt out of my tank to stop them. I was successful, and Takeshi and Hibarin went to stop Byakuran, Kikyo and Ryohei from breaking your really expensive door. Hibari got the puppies for assistance. Then I, the hero of this story, crawled on my stomach over to the computers and opened the observation area so that Hibari could get Byakuran back into the grazing enclosure. Which he did, and then the werewolves got the other two inside. Huh? Where'd Takeshi go?"

"In here..."

The weak call seemed to have come from the werewolf enclosure, and Hibari was fast to run over there. "Takeshi!" he called, seeing the centaur lying on the ground, a horseshoe-shaped bruise on his chest. "Oh no..."

"I'm okay, just a tad sore," Takeshi said. "I'm lucky Byakuran didn't bother with me. This is from Ryohei... I think he just got worked up- he's my friend, after all."

"Sorry... this is my fault... its all my fault," Hibari murmured, hanging his head. He chuckled dryly. "I haven't felt this guilty in a long time."

Dino walked over and helped Takeshi up. "Mukuro's getting Fran in his tank... he looks pretty bad, though. You guys are lucky you didn't get hurt too badly."

Takeshi smiled. "But we did it!" he laughed. "We really took on three centaurs at once! One half-pegasus! That's pretty amazing, ne?"

Hibari nodded. "It is... it is!" he said, starting to get excited himself. He then thought for a moment. "Well... we did gang up on them."

Dino sighed heavily, starting to walk Takeshi away from the werewolf enclosure as Bel and Hayato were led into it by Mukuro. Hibari followed Dino, then walked over to the merpeople's tank. Fran was sitting on a rock, his back facing Hibari, saying something Hibari couldn't hear. After considering the previous circumstances, he decided against talking to Fran about it.

He instead walked back to his own enclosure.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Wooooah, long chapter! Please... review it!<p> 


	10. The Opposed

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Ten: The Opposed**

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><p>"Hibarin, in light of your actions during the rebellion, I hearby grant the vampires access to their new enclosure. Please take the exit on your left," Dino said, smiling widely. "Mukuro will be waiting to tell you about it, and make sure you thank Shoichi and Spanner when you see them."<p>

Hibari dashed through the door the second it had risen high enough for him to do so, and Basil followed, though less enthusiastic. Hibari hurried through the tunnels, then finally came out upon a wide enclosure that somewhat resembled the centaur enclosure, except there was dirt in place of the flowers, and the tree was short, and thin. There was also a rock wall that extended up pretty high before it turned into a tinted glass dome, revealing tinted sunlight. But a canal of water circled the enclosure alongside the rows of dirt, and Hibari decided that they were expected to tend to their own gardens.

Being a huge lover of roses, Hibari found his heart racing with giddiness at the idea, even though he tried not to express that. "Wow...," he breathed, looking to Mukuro, who stood waiting for them. "This is great."

"Kufufufufu... I'm glad you like it," Mukuro replied, holding out his arms. "C'mere, you softy." Hibari ran over and hugged Mukuro tightly, planting kisses on the side of his face to emphasize his joy. Meanwhile, Basil snorted and sat down against a wall, picking up two rocks and chipping one with the other. Hibari looked into the hunter's eyes, and Mukuro released him, starting to explain about the enclosure. "So, flower seeds and such are stored in the pocket of the rocks over there, you can use the water, it's clean. Also, it took a while, but we built a tunnel in the canal that leads to the merpeople tank, so you can go to visit them- which I wouldn't suggest, or they could come through the tunnel, too. I particularly expect Fran to visit frequently. Also, since this is linked to your previous enclosure, you can go back and forth from here to there in order to get to the hunting grounds. Of course, if you decide to trust possibility, fish from the merpeople enclosure and the hunting grounds are more than likely to occassionally turn up here."

Hibari smiled, and walked over to the small tree. "Birds?" he asked. Mukuro sighed.

"There's just no end to your ideas, is there?" he asked. "Maybe someday."

The ravenette smiled, and nodded, still pleased with what was provided. "Thanks, Mukuro. It's perfect."

"Fufufu, good luck getting Basilicum to agree with you. He's young, so I'll bet he doesn't quite like what you do," Mukuro chuckled. "I've got to go let the werewolves into the hunting grounds. Enjoy, you two!"

"Later!" Hibari called, before running over Basil. "Isn't this nice? We have space, exquisite dim lighting, fertile soil, clean water, I just can't contain my joy- it's wonderful!"

Basil nodded tiredly, still chipping at the rocks. It seemed like he was making himself a dagger. "I do not share thy sentiments. This environment is false. Do not allow it to fool thee."

Hibari sighed, and placed a hand on Basil's shoulder. "It's beautiful, Basil... why don't you appreciate that?"

"Thou art a vampire of higher class than I, Basilicum Arpeggio V. Thou also hast more of a liking to what humans refer to as the 'finer things in life'. I merely wish to escape, Lord Hibarin."

Hibari sighed, about to say something more, when he saw something odd surfacing in the canal. "Fran?"

"Don't mind me- I'm a rock. Just keep doing what you were doing," Fran said, signaling for them to continue.

The older vampire laughed and walked over to the merman, before patting him on the head. "What're you doing here?"

"Well, eavesdropping until recently," Fran muttered. "I had some news to share with you."

Basil got up and walked away, as if annoyed to have their conversation interrupted, but Hibari didn't care. He was more intrested in talking to Fran, anyway. "What is it?" he asked as Fran started to lift himself up onto land. Fran sat with his tail in the water, and soon began.

"Y'know how Bel was carrying me yesterday, right?" he said. Hibari nodded. "Well, when he did that, I realized that I am CRAZY in love with him."

Already aware of Fran's crush on the werewolf, the vampire smiled, and said, "About time."

"But you know, he's supposed to take that silver-haired werewolf as his mate. So I found out that they want nothing to do with each other, and I don't have any competition anymore!"

"Good for you," Hibari said honestly.

"But that's not all," Fran replied, his expression starting to sink, "Dino says he's going to ask Spanner and Shoichi to build the werewolves a hunting ground of their own, since they aren't much suited to fish. If that happens, I won't be able to see him very often!" Fran folded his arms to alert Hibari to his frustration, and continued, "The tamers don't understand what true love is. It doesn't have to be strictly within the species- it can cross between kinds of animals... you understand, right? Because I KNOW you aren't intrested in Sir Pantsalot over there."

"Pantsalot?" Hibari repeated, arching a brow in confusion.

"Lancelot, Pantsalot, same thing. Medieval-tongue guy," Fran sighed. His tail suddenly left the water, before changing into a completely different substance and splitting down the middle as human legs, and a human waist, closely guarded by blubbery shorts. "God, that feels weird," Fran muttered.

"You learned the charm?" Hibari asked. The merman nodded, then folded his legs, and held his ankles with his hands as he leaned forward.

"So, Hibarin, where have YOUR eyes been wandering?" he asked.

"... Meaning?"

"Whom have you been unable to look away from?" the merman restated.

"I'm sorry, I don't-"

"Who is the best candidate to become your mate, damn it?" Fran said, tired of the vampire's stalling.

"Oh. I don't know," Hibari answered. Fran started to groan obnoxiously, as if Hibari had said something really annoying, and after a while, Hibari said, "All right, listen. I don't know because I'm mildly intrested in quite a few people... See, Takeshi's too carefree, and I have no idea what I'd do with his body, same with Byakuran, and he hates me now, Hayato's rude, and has a huge crush on that Tsunayoshi, Dino's too happy, Basil has his freaky accent, and Mukuro..." Hibari trailed off, and Fran signaled for him to continue.

"C'mon, what about Mukuro?" Fran asked. "What about him?"

"He killed my parents," Hibari said, his voice gentle. Yes, even though Hibari had tried not to hold it against him, since vampire-hunting was Mukuro's job, it was hard to block out the pictures that flashed across his mind. His mother and father, their dead bodies lying next to each other in an eternal slumber...

The trauma was going to last.

Fran, however, wasn't good at sensing a serious mood, and he was fast to act as Frans do. "Wow! Didn't expect that. Nuh-uh."

"I had just started hunting on my own... and one day, when I came home, they were just... lying there, dead. Peacefully, I should add. But seeing them lying together so closely, gunshots to their heads... it's been difficult to live with the man who presented that scene to me."

"How dramatic of you, Hibarin. You're gonna have to tell me how it turns out," Fran said. "Speaking of... how do you know that?"

"Both rumor and the witnesses of the shadows," Hibari murmured. "Plus... whenever I smell him, I remember the scent that was hanging on the air when I walked into that house."

"What scent would that be?" Fran asked.

Hibari tried to remain serious as he answered, "Pineapple," but Fran's outburst of hysterical laugher was too tempting to prevent a few chuckles. Fran soon calmed himself, and placed a hand on Hibari's shoulder.

"You'll be fine, Hibari; trust me, I'm a merman." (Cudos to anyone who got that reference!)

"Heh. I'm still breathing," Hibari sighed.

Fran smiled widely, then started to inch towards the canal. "I can't stay out for very long," he told the vampire. "I don't know how you guys do it, but I can't live without the water, so I'll be heading out."

Hibari nodded. "All right, Fran... I'll see you later."

The merman nodded, saluted to Hibari, and slid into the water, before diving down and vanishing where Hibari assumed the tunnel back to the merpeople tank. Hibari glanced back at Basil, who was sitting beside the small tree, hugging his knees, his head in his arms. The younger vampire was quite cute, looking all woe-is-me like that, so Hibari decided to go and try to cheer him up. The ravenette walked over to the other and sat down beside him. "Hey, Basil," he murmured. "If you're that upset with the new enclosure, I suppose I wouldn't mind if you drank some of my bl-"

'Ood' was replaced by a gasp when Basil suddenly tackled Hibari to the ground, his jaws locking around the older's neck. The usually shy fangs were warm spears now, piercing the skin with ease before the young vampire began to drink greedily. Hibari winced at the sharp sting in his neck, and he closed his eyes, suprised by the fierocity. In most cases, a vampire could take blood without causing the victim too much pain. It was simple; all one had to do was make sure their fangs weren't dry, and that they bit in a region that didn't have as many nerves. This information was taught to every vampire by their parents, because it didn't take vampires long to realize that being reckless meant causing others to be hurt and angered unneccessarily. As such, there wasn't a vampire alive that didn't know where the proper places to bite were at. Besides, causing pain without meaning to was just a plain rude way to thank your host!

"B-basil," Hibari grunted, placing his hand on the other vampire's lower back and rubbing in a soothing way. "Are you... all right?" It made perfect sense for him to ask. If Basil was angry at him, then they should resolve things efficiently- not through blood theft. On the other hand, if it was simply strong instincts that Basil had due to his young age, Hibari should have known so that he was sure that Basil was at least in a decent mood. However, the younger vampire only continued to drink, his fangs brushing against a nerve directly, which only caused Hibari more pain.

It took a while, but Basil eventually parted from the older vampire, the ruby liquid trickling down his chin. Basil blushed and wiped at his lips, murmuring, "I'm sorry, Lord Hibarin, but thy blood is just so-"

"Delicious, I know. I've heard," Hibari sighed. Basil looked down.

"My utmost apologies. If thou is to offer me thy blood, I simply cannot control myself...," Basil murmured, his face crimson.

Hibari felt the wound on his neck and cringed, for one of Basil's fangs seemed to have actually pierced through a nerve. "Don't worry about it," Hibari sighed. "I'm fine."

"Hey, Hibarin!"  
>The two looked to the door just as Mukuro came in. "C'mere, Hibarin. I want to spend a moment with you."<p>

**-End Chapter**

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><p>All right! Rating to change in the next chapter! THOSE OF YOU WHO ARE UNCOMFORTABLE READING RATED M CONTENT, CONTINUE FOLLOWING AT YOUR OWN RISK. ... Sorry!<p>

Please Review!


	11. The Lusted After

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Eleven: The Lusted After**

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><p>Hibari was led into a room he hadn't seen before, but it was clearly a human's room, because there was a bed, and other furniture. The vampire looked back at the hunter in front of him, and blinked, confused. "Uhm... Mukuro...?" he said.<p>

"Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _get on the bed,_" Mukuro said. Although he thought that there was a blush beginning to form on Mukuro's cheeks, Hibari did as told, not wanting to be shocked again. He sat down on the edge of the bed, but continued to look at Mukuro, an inkling of suspiscion in his innocent, gray eyes. "Lie down," Mukuro ordered, walking over. The hunter then shed his jacket, and let it fall to the floor, before starting to lift his shirt up over his head. Now becoming skeptical of his orders, Hibari leaned back, but made sure that he was still able to see Mukuro. He was beginning to get the impulse that the hunter was making a decision that neither of them would enjoy- and he hoped that that decision wouldn't be one that involved use of a vampire gun.

Mukuro then slid himself onto the bed, and reached over, before taking Hibari's cape, and undoing it. He tossed the material aside, then reached for the vampire's shirt. Immediately, Hibari grabbed the other's wrist, and emitted a small hiss. After all, vampires were very dignified creatures. If it was Mukuro's intention to shoot him, then such would happen with all his clothes on, thank you very much.

But then, the hunter made another unusual move. He leaned in, and his lips touched against the vampire's for a moment so brief that he had to wonder what had just happened. The distraction was fully effective. Mukuro used his opportunity to start unbuttoning Hibari's shirt, and the other couldn't do anything when he finally noticed, for Mukuro had already reached the last two. However, protests were just natural, and Hibari's instincts prevailed. He placed both hands on the hunter's shoulders and shoved backwards, but such didn't matter- as a hunter, Mukuro was just the tiniest bit stronger when he had all his will.

As he had failed to push the other away, Hibari decided to trust his communication skills. "Mukuro...," he began, "what, exactly, are you doing?"

"Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _silence._ I will tell you when you are permitted to talk. _Don't move. Don't resist_ in any way. _Do as I say,"_ Mukuro replied, his voice dripping with venom as it hissed past his lips.

"... _No_."

Hibari knew it was a bad choice the second he said it, for not only was a shock deposited to his throat, but he recieved a cuff on the head from Mukuro as well. "C'mon, Hibarin, we both want this," Mukuro muttered, his teeth gritted. "Otherwise, you wouldn't have been provoking me for so damned long."

Hibari reached up and rubbed the back of his head sorely, trembling when he finally noticed the seriousness in Mukuro's eyes. "Uh... can you... please just tell me what you want with me...?" he asked, choosing his words carefully so as to not anger the hunter any further. He didn't want to be injured without it being completely neccessary.

"... Dino's away right now. He can't stop me from taking what's rightfully mine. And Basil can't do a thing about this either, because deep down he knows that your affections belong to someone else. Isn't that right, Hibarin?" Mukuro said, his voice deep and breathy as though he was attempting to prove a very clear point.

Hibari shook his head, but he could feel his face warming up with a sort of shyness as he gradually became aware of the situation. "Uh... Mukuro... are you saying that I... have _affections_ for... you...?"

Mukuro's face was mere centimeters from Hibari's own, and the vampire could feel the other's breath, making him even more uncomfortable. "If this is not the case, then you better fight back before I take this too far."

When Hibari heard _'too far,_' he heard _'mistake_,' or _'screw up_.' Something towards the violence side, not the romance side of the wheel of action. But just when he was about to ask another question, Mukuro repeated his commands from earlier, banning the vampire from speech, movement, and resistance. Hibari stayed silent through what he could, watching as the hunter fully undressed the both of them, then quivered as their bare chests just barely brushed against each other. Hibari desperately wanted to say something about these awfully suggestive things Mukuro was doing, but somehow, he knew that it wasn't 'suggestive,' it was the setup for what they were going to take part in.

"Now, Hibari Natsu Kyoya II... bare your fangs," Mukuro ordered. Hibari drew his lips back, closing his eyes, for the mismatched gaze of the hunter made him feel sick. Those were the eyes of the one who killed his family; looking at them for so long eventually became rather emotionally draining. But Hibari no longer had time to think about such useless facts, for Mukuro's thumb had brushed over one of his fangs, and now, suppressing his instinct to clamp down on the flesh was another thing to add to his stress. "Kufufufu... I never knew how arousing it would be to be faced with these beauties. You know they make necklaces from vampire fangs, Hibarin?" Hibari couldn't resist the urge to glare at the hunter, but Mukuro merely chuckled. "Now I see why, too. These little knives are pretty sexy, vampire."

"Back to calling me 'vampire' again, Mukuro?" the ravenette challenged, but he backed down again when a small shock was administered to what must have been a nerve point on his neck.

"Fufufu... bad boy, I told you not to talk," Mukuro said, a trace of irritation in his voice. The hunter then dipped down, and, without a hint of warning, dragged his tongue from Hibari's collarbone to his chin, before turning the action into a short kiss against Hibari's lips. "You're such a _rebel_, Hibarin."

Hibari's anger rose at every small intimate action, because he could easily tell that Mukuro was toying with him. He was having fun, too, leading Hibari on to believe that he was something particularly near and dear to the hunter's heart. _What a lie._ However, Hibari knew that resisting was just another bad idea. He would only get hurt if he did, and Mukuro was more than likely to get upset with him.

Besides, there wasn't much he could do- Mukuro was growing impatient. The hunter's actions got faster, and easily more sensual. The hunter's fingers began to explore Hibari's skin, easily finding every one of his sensitive places. Hibari closed his eyes and tried to endure, not able to pick up on the warning signs when the caresses began to go lower, and lower, before brushing over a place that was too sensitive for Hibari to take it silently. The vampire gasped and clapped a hand over his mouth, then glanced down what was taking place. He was met with Mukuro's lustful eyes as the slender fingers ran up and down his arousal, making him shudder involuntarily with pleasure.

"How's that feel, Hibarin?" Mukuro chuckled, before running his thumb over the slit just as he had with Hibari's fangs. The vampire bit his lip until it bled when he tried to contain his moans, and he shook his head vigorously in a futile attempt to get the hunter to stop. He was completely unused to being touched in such a private area, even by his _own_ hand, so, no matter how the current touch felt, it was simply too much for the vampire to handle.

"S-sto-ohh," Hibari attempted, but the second he tried to form words, he let himself slip into a pleased sound.

"Kufufufu... I know, I know... you're not exactly adapted to this level of sexual enjoyment. Fufu... this isn't even the beginning, Hibarin. Now... Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, spread your legs for me, would you?"

Hibari could hardly take the humiliation as he obeyed the command, and Mukuro inched closer to him, before seeming to realize something, and smacking his forehead in frustration. He then backed down, and the vampire had little time to sigh in relief before Mukuro came back, something in his hand which he gave to Hibari. "Put this on," he ordered. Hibari stared at the object in his hand, then glanced back at Mukuro, confused. Mukuro was putting the object over his manhood like a sheath, and when he glared at the vampire, Hibari quickly followed suit. "Can't have any proof," Mukuro explained, even though he was probably fully aware that Hibari didn't understand what he meant. "Now," the hunter began again, his hands running up Hibari's thighs before holding his legs up on to the hunter's shoulders. "Let us begin, shall we?"

"Mukuro, I... I don't-" Hibari caught himself off with a gasp when he felt the human's member touch him, before beginning to push in to his virgin hole, making the vampire grit his teeth tightly and try to back out of it. "Stop! That... that hurts!" he complained, reaching forward and holding on to Mukuro's shoulders. He closed his eyes when he felt Mukuro moving further, ignoring his protests and entering him slowly. "Mukuro! _Stop!"_ Hibari cried, "d-damn it!"

"Shhh," the hunter soothed, "claw me, bite me, do whatever, I don't care," he murmured. "You're doing good; just try to relax."

'Relax?' Hibari thought. 'Easy for you to say- this isn't happening to you!' The vampire whimpered as Mukuro penetrated him deeper than he could've ever even imagined, when suddenly he stopped, panting quietly.

"This... is as far as I go. Are you all right?" the hunter asked. Hibari shook his head once more, and this time, Mukuro chuckled. "Well... you can't do anything about that, hm?"

Hibari blinked away his tears and looked away, his face hot with pain and humiliation. "M-mukuro... please..."

"Oya oya? Want me to move?" Mukuro said, before pulling himself out. He then thrusted his hips back into Hibari, making the vampire cry out in his pain. "Shhh, shh," the hunter hushed. "You don't want the scientests finding out about this..."

"Nu... you don't want them finding out," Hibari whimpered. "Please... stop moving... idiot... it hurts..."

Mukuro grinned and began to work himself once more, starting up a rhythm, "Nn... Hibarin," he grunted, his face dusted red as he moaned quietly. "Hahhh... it's been so damned long..."

Hibari's nails dug harshly into the hunter's shoulders, and he mewled with pain at each thrust, trembling as his body was stretched to allow the stinging movement inside him. The thrust became rapid and uneven after a while as Mukuro's moans escalated in volume, and Hibari was about to give another pained groan when something weird happened. There was a sudden burst of pleasure from deep inside him, but just when he thought it was a fluke, it happened again, before that sweet spot was struck so hard that he saw stars. The vampire cried out in delight, and let go of his tenseness, coming in to bite the hunter's shoulder as the hot appendage continued to assault his insides. He clamped down on the hunter's skin, making Mukuro gasp, his voice cracking with suprise.

As Hibari drank the sweet blood, he found himself drawing in more and more pleasure, like he was climbing to the skies. And the vampire soon touched clouds in a fine peak of delight, in which all of his stress simply _vanished_. It was certainly the highlight of the moment, but after it, Hibari was simply exhauted.

"Hibarin... oh, Hibarinnn...!" Mukuro cried suddenly. "I... I'm going to come...!" Just as Hibari was wondering what the hell Mukuro meant, the hunter took a sharp intake of breath, his face crimson as he trembled, before he collapsed on Hibari, his arms releasing the vampire's legs to instead wrap around his body. "That was damn good," Mukuro panted, hugging the ravenette tightly. "Let's do this again... sometime..."

The vampire sighed, and placed his hand on the hunter's back and rubbing. "What about... Basil...?" he murmured.

The hunter chuckled dryly. "What of him?" he snorted, before glancing at Hibari, and suddenly turning serious. "Wait... are you worried about him?" he asked, his mismatched eyes now filled with confusion.

"I... don't _want_ to hurt him," Hibari sighed, before closing his eyes. "... Tired..."

Hibari began to fell asleep, and he lost conciousness before he could feel the hunter picking him up, and carrying him out of the room.

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><p>Meanwhile...<p>

"Ushishishishi... you're so cute," Bel laughed, tugging on the merman's cheek. Even though Fran was blushing lightly, he batted the werewolf back.

"Stop that," he protested. "What's so cute about it?"

"Shishi... just the fact that you're so naive," the blonde replied, his arms reached past the bars so that he could touch the merman. "You haven't been through the harsh treatment that people give to us werewolves."

Fran sighed, and sat down on the ground, patting the grass inside the hunting area to signal for Bel to do so as well. The werewolf sat down, and Fran murmured, "I wasn't treated that nicely either, Bel... you wanna know how they caught me?"

"Mm... sure," Bel replied. "How?"

"Harpoons and nets," Fran said, closing his eyes to better remember the time. He had been living in a lake for quite sometime, occassionally pranking fishermen, sometimes drowning people, because it was fun. But then, one day, when he tried to capsize a boat, he'd found himself faced with a spear bigger than his arm. Startled, he'd thrown both arms up in submission, and a man with a shaved head had grabbed hold of his wrists, before pulling him up and into the boat. Fran had thrashed about in protest, shouting for them to stop, but ropes were tied around his wrists and he had been held down and carried until he had been tossed carelessly into that tank. That man... he had yet to see him again. "It wasn't exactly a nice catch for me... but I don't mind. It's not like they starve us."

"I guess," Bel replied.

"Fran! Back in to your tank, what are you DOING?" scolded Mukuro, coming down from the stairs that led to the lab, and some of the bedrooms.

"Uhh... I could ask you the same thing," Fran answered, pointing to the vampire whom Mukuro held in his arms.

"Nevermind that! Get in your tank!" the hunter repeated. Fran snorted at him and looked back at Bel.

"Guess I'll see you later," he muttered. Bel nodded.

"Later, Froggy."

"Start with that and I'll use merman powers to give you a cavity," Fran snickered, before walking back to the merpeople enclosure. Bel soon walked back to join his 'mate,' and Mukuro carried Hibari back to the vampire enclosure, before setting him down, and placing his clothes beside him in a neat pile. He kissed the vampire's cheek, and placed his cape over him, before closing and locking the cage.

"Good night, my vampire," he whispered, before walking away.

Hibari curled up a little tighter beneath the minute warmth his cape provided, and he quietly breathed out the hunter's name as the images of what they had done crossed past his mind.

-**End Chapter**

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><p>*blush*... Well... did I do well on this? First lemon scene for me... so... HOPE IT WAS AT LEAST OKAY! XD<p>

Please review!

Please vote on who Hayato should be paired with, because there's a slight contraversey: **Takeshi, or Tsuna?** By the way, I probably won't include lemon for either pairing.


	12. The Betrayed

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twelve: The Betrayed**

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><p>Hibari rubbed his side sorely as he stood up straight, glancing over at Basil, who was napping beneath the small shade that the ungrown tree provided. It had been three days since the incident with Mukuro, but rumors had already spread about them, and it was taking its toll on the vampire's good reputation. While the scientists and tamers didn't know or suspect anything, all of the captive animals had gotten word of the rumor, and a good number of them had begun to shun the ravenette.<p>

Mukuro hadn't spoken to him since then, Basil refused to look at him, Belphegor frequently poked insults at him, and most of the centaurs were just plain mean. Three creatures took pity on him, however- Hayato, Fran, and the centaur Takeshi. Even as their own kind shunned him, those three were indebted to the vampire, or otherwise fond of him.

Besides, Hayato and Fran could clearly relate, because the both of them disliked their cage/tankmates, and preferred to hang out with other species.

"Hibarin! Wanna help me out with the centaurs today?" Dino called, opening the door to the vampire enclosure. Hibari soon came out from the main enclosure and stepped out from the cage, tensing when Dino leashed him. "Thanks, vampire. Byakuran won't let me lead him today... so I could really use your help. I don't know what it is- everyone's a little riled up today, ne?"

Hibari nodded, then walked up to the centaur enclosure with Dino, and the tamer went to handle Kikyo as the vampire approached Byakuran. The hybrid watched, his amethyst eyes narrow as the ravenette stepped closer, then snorted as Hibari took a bow. "Just because I'm a halfbreed doesn't mean I welcome the mixing of blood, vampire."

"You don't understand," Hibari replied in a low voice, looking up to meet Byakuran's gaze. The hybrid snorted and folded his arms.

"That may be true," he admitted. "However, I don't need to accept it. Don't touch me."

"Oh, man up," the vampire hissed, before grabbing the halfbreed's wrist and yanking him towards the rampway. Byakuran tried to rear up on his hind legs, but Hibari's death grip kept all four hooves firmly on the ground.

"Let me go," Byakuran hissed, beating his wings wildly as he tried to free himself. Suddenly, an ebony-coated centaur trotted up to the two, and placed an arm around the hybrid's shoulders.

"Cool down, Byakuran, we're going to go graze, right?" Takeshi said, grinning. The halfbreed snorted, then relaxed his hand, before holding it out. The vampire took it willingly, then also grabbed a hold of Takeshi's.

"I'll take the both of you down," he offered. "We've wasted enough time already."

"Hibari successfully led both centaurs down to the grazing area, and Takeshi thanked him, while Byakuran tore his hand away from Hibari, stomped the ground, and trotted away to greet Kikyo. Hibari bid Takeshi farewell, and went back up to the main centaur enclosure to meet up with Dino. The tamer had his whip equipped, and was frantically trying to calm an overly-excited Ryohei. "All right, Ryohei, if you don't let me lead you down, I'm going to have to force you down!" he called. Ryohei shouted something (who knows what), and threw his hind hooves into the large tree, and DIno gritted his teeth in frustration, before running up and leaping on to the centaur's back, using his whip as reins. "C'mon, Ryohei!" he shouted, digging his heel into the centaur's side. Hibari watched as Ryohei started to gallop out of the enclosure and down the ramp, then waited for Dino to return.

The tamer didn't take long, but he certainly looked shaken up by all the chaos. "You all right?" he asked Hibari. The vampire nodded, and Dino patted him on the back. "Thanks. By the way... er... Byakuran mentioned something along the lines of... crossbreeding? What was that about?"

Hibari paused. "No idea."

The tamer shrugged, and he and Hibari were about to head back, when Dino stopped, then grinned. "Wanna help out with the merpeople, too?"

Hibari thought of Fran, and nodded. He hadn't seen his merman friend for a couple days, so he could use the comfort. He and Dino headed over to the merpeople's tank, and Dino left, saying he was going to get them some food. Meanwhile, Hibari sat down at the edge of the tank, and Fran soon came up to the surface.

"Hey," he greeted. "How are you?"

"Exhausted," Hibari replied, leaning over slightly to see Fran better. "Everyone thinks that something happened between me and Mukuro."

Fran sighed, then reached to hold his hand. Now, Fran was so close that Hibari could see the teal dolphin tail keeping him at the surface. "Y'know Hibarin, they're just acting normal. Crossbreeding is frowned upon by a lot of species. Us merpeople aren't that fussy about it, though... As you know, I like Belphegor..."

A blush crossed Fran's cheeks as he said it, and Hibari smiled to see that he wasn't the only one uncomfortable with his feelings. "Yeah," he said. "I know."

Dino then came back, and set a couple buckets on the ground. Fran immediately backed down away from Hibari, and beached himself on to the banks so that he could see what was in them. He soon wrinkled his nose. "Eew. What did I say about the fish?" he growled. Hibari laughed, and took the merman's hand, before yanking him up and into his lap. Fran blushed, for his tail didn't vanish with his position- half of it was still in the water.

"You want to try feeding vampire style?" Hibari asked, offering his neck. Fran threw his tail upwards, splashing Hibari in the process, then slid himself back into the water where he was comfy.

"No, I don't," Fran replied. "Sorry, Hibarin, I'm not intrested," he said. "I'll take the fish."

Hibari smirked. His plan had worked. "Okay, Fran, do me a favor and call out the others," Dino said, passing a bucket towards Hibari. The vampire took a fish from it, frowned at it, then handed it to Fran, who chuckled, stuck it in his mouth, and dove beneath the surface, going to what Hibari knew was an underwater cave. "Phew," Dino said, sitting down beside the tank. "Hey, Hibarin, why are you so... tame? When I first met you, you were downright mean!"

"I don't know," Hibari said honestly. "I get along better with other animals more than with Basil though."

Dino looked at the vampire funny, then started, "Are you...?"

"Hm?"

"... Nevermind," he sighed. "Nothing. Uh... they're coming back."

Hibari smiled as Fran and the other merpeople surfaced, and Squalo suddenly screamed, "'Ey, vampire! Xanxus says HI!"

"'Ey?" Fran repeated. "Mam, you are fo embaraffing. So umstyish. So UMcoo. Umike me," Fran said, a fish tail hanging out of the corner of his mouth.

"Vooi, Fran! How about you shut up?" Squalo replied, glaring at the younger merman. Fran grinned, then held out his hand.

"Hibarin! How about another fish for your favorite merman?" he requested.

Hibari chuckled and tossed the teal-haired man another fish, before throwing one to Squalo, who looked like he was going to throw a fit over the fact that Fran was getting fed before him. "You guys are lucky," Hibari muttered. "You get to swim around in a tank all day."

"Hey, it's not as fun as you think," Squalo said.

Dino watched the three as he fed Bluebell, blissfully unaware of who each of them had targeted as their mates.

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><p>"Basil!" Hibari called as he entered his enclosure. "Look, nothing happened between me and Mukuro, okay? So stop shunning me!"<p>

The young vampire stood up from where he had been, and his dirt-covered hands told Hibari that he'd been gardening. "I planted a rose garden for you," he murmured. Hibari walked over to where Basil was, and looked into the tear-filled eyes.

"Are you all right...?" he asked, placing a hand on the other's shoulder. The younger vampire leapt up and hugged Hibari tightly, burying his head in the ravenette's chest.

"I want thee to be my mate," he cried, "I don't want to lose thee to a human! _I love thee, Lord Hibarin!"_

Hibari was suprised, of course, but he definitely believed Basil. Since the start, Basil had been talking about how they should be mates. Hibari didn't really take him seriously, though, and he now could see that he had been hurting the other by doing so. "I'm sorry, Basil," he murmured. "For... everything." Hibari was fully aware that a vampire was always instinctive about his or her mates, but it was always a little difficult that way, for most of the time, the other wouldn't return their feelings. That was the main reason as to why there weren't a lot of them around- they believed in love at first sight, which wasn't exactly easy to come by. Hibari may not have felt the overwhelming urge to mate with Basil, but he did pity the younger one a bit. It must've been awful to think that the one he loved had chosen another over him.

"Hibarin... thou art very kind... but... I wish not to interfere with thy love. Thou will either return my feelings or not, yes? Which is it?"

Basil was a very kind young creature, delicate and cute in comparison to many of his fellow vampires. He was striving to impress Hibari at every turn, and Hibari was just starting to appreciate that. Even though Hibari had told the young vampire that he wasn't intrested, Basil kept trying, whereas most other vampires would be disappointed for a few moments, then go to live life on their own so that their love could enjoy life the way they wanted. After all, vampires were very sensitive to one another's feelings, and typically didn't meddle where they weren't wanted. Basil, however, was different. He didn't have as strong of a composition. He was fragile.

And when Hibari looked in to the deep, sad, blue eyes, he couldn't help thinking he didn't have a real choice here. He had to bring himself to love Basil, otherwise the young vampire would be crushed. "Basil... I...," Hibari began. "I... need... I need time... to think about this... is that all right?"

The other nodded, but both of them knew that Hibari would never have 'true' feelings for Basil.

All of his 'true' feelings... more than likely belonged to Mukuro.

The man who had already taken his first time.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>N'aw, ain't that just adorable? Hibari's lyin' about him and Mukuro to Basil- this can't be good!<p>

It's starting to look like I'll have to change paths to Takeshi, which I can guarantee will be a cinch... but just so you know, there won't be lemon for either Hayato pairing because I don't exactly like to write about Tsuna, and well... what the heck am I supposed to do with a centaur body? (Please, don't answer that question.)

Please review!


	13. The Elusive

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Thirteen: The Elusive**

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><p>As he stretched his hands up and brushed them over the glass, Hibari stared at the sun above. It was noon, the one hour where the sun could be felt directly above the enclosure. He gazed into the orb, hypnotized, before losing his balance and falling. He performed a flip in the air and landed on the ground, but still stared at the sky above. Every day, he longed more for freedom, to break free from the environment that was so pleasant. Even under such nice circumstances, everything was starting to suffocate him.<p>

"Hibarin! Be careful! If thou were to lose thy life from thy reckless actions, I would be very sad," Basil sighed, walking over to the vampire.

"Basil... I'm hungry," Hibari said, his fangs gleaming in the light as he spoke, as if to prove his point. The younger vampire placed his hands on the ravenette's shoulders, standing up tall.

"Drink, my Lord," he husked out.

Hibari bit down on the other's shoulder, and drank hungrily, although it didn't hurt the young vampire, thanks to Hibari's natural precautions. He'd chosen the largest vein he could get that had few nerves around it, and though he sucked on the skin a little stronger than usual, it still had little pain. Basil's hands were placed on Hibari's shoulders, and he sighed, starting to pick up a light pant. His breath ruffled the vampire's hair, and his fingers clenched the ravenette's shirt, and soon, Hibari knew what was going on.

Now aware of the situation, Hibari backed up, and looked into the younger vampire's flushed face. He turned around. "I won't look, so you better go calm yourself down," he murmured.

"Hibarin, I wish to mate with thee," Basil whispered. "Please... just once... that's all I need to satisfy my hunger...!"

"No, Basil. I told you... I need to think about it."

"Lord Hibarin, please...!" the other gasped, dramatically falling to his knees. "I... I'm...!"

"I know," Hibari said. "I know that you're aroused. But I've drank my fill, and I'm not feeling what you are." Hibari then bit his lip, and summoned a little willpower before he used Basil's name for the first time. "Basilicum Arpeggio the fifth, _go calm yourself_. Without me."

Although he could sense Basil's shock, Hibari soon heard footsteps as Basil walked away, and quiet panting from a more secluded part o the enclosure told him that the other was following orders. Meanwhile, Hibari decided that he'd go to see Fran while his assigned mate took care of things. He took a pebble, and dropped it into the canal, then waited. Soon enough, Fran surfaced, and Hibari quietly requested to be brought to the merpeople's tank. Almost immediately, he was yanked into the water, and Fran dragged him all the way into the merpeople's cave. To his suprise, however, there was another guest in there. One who he wasn't so happy to see.

"Fran, how'd you get Bel in here?" he asked, going to the opposite side of the air pocket. The werewolf on the other end snorted, and grabbed Fran's hand, before pulling him up into his lap.

"The prince requested to see his favorite merman. The prince's wish was granted," he muttered. Fran blushed, then suddenly pulled the prince backwards and into the water, his hands feeling along the soft wolf ears on the prince's head.

"Bel," he whispered. He then turned, and swam over to Hibari. "I really need you to help me," he said in a small voice. "So I'm really glad you called. Even though you woke up Bluebell."

"What do you need my help with?" Hibari asked quietly. Fran blushed.

"Telling Bel that I..."

Hibari nodded, understanding the statement even while it was incomplete. "Just tell him you love him," he breathed. "If he's a good guy, he'll understand."

"But Hibarin... he... he's a werewolf," Fran said, his eyes timid. "They usually don't accept crossbreeding." Hibari shrugged, and Fran hesitantly swam back to his crush, then placed his hands on the other's knees, and his head in Bel's lap. "Belphegor?" he murmured, looking up at the prince. Bel placed a hand on his head, and stroked through his hair, only raising Fran's anxiety.

"What is it, Fran?"

Fran took the prince, and plunged him underwater, then, as Bel looked at him in confusion, Fran met their lips together. He breathed some oxygen into the prince's mouth, but didn't stop kissing him- he couldn't. Fran gazed into those ruby red eyes as the water pulled his bangs away, and held the body close, his tail beating against the other body as he struggled to remain submerged. But then, Bel shoved him backwards and scrambled away to get back to the surface. Fran followed, and grabbed a hold on the werewolf, trying to drag him back down. Belphegor reached out to Hibari, and choked out, "Help me!", but Hibari just shook his head, and Bel was pulled under again. Fran kissed down Bel's jawline, his hands trying to open the prince's jacket, but Bel continued to thrash against him as he fought for his life. The merman nuzzled into Bel's shoulder in an attempt to keep him calm, but no one stays calm when they think they're going to drown. Bel fought hard, and eventually managed to crash a leg into Fran's side hard enough for the merman to be shoved away.

When Bel resurfaced, he gasped and coughed to expel water from his system, before fighting over to Hibari and grabbing on to him. "Please," he breathed. "I'll drown!"

"Do you love him?" Hibari asked. Bel stared for a moment, confused, but that moment was all Fran needed. The merman sprang up and wrapped his arms around Bel's body, but this time, he accidentally dragged Hibari into the water as well. Hibari was easily freed, but he didn't need to see Fran and Bel's little underwater arguement. He grabbed both of them by their arms, and pulled them to the surface, and immediately started to scold Fran. "Okay, drowning him isn't the way to tell him," he grunted.

"Drowning him is the only way I can!" Fran argued. "He's got the advantage out of water!"

"Advantage? Tell me what?" Bel shouted. "Fran, why the hell are you kissing me underwater?"

"Because I love you!" Fran yelled back. He then seemed to realize what he'd just confessed to, and Fran blushed, before gritting his teeth in frustration and diving beneath the surface. Bel stared after the merman, then thought for a while.

"He... loves me?" he wondered aloud. "But he's... and I'm..."

"Is species difference really that big of a deal?" Hibari muttered.

"Yes!" Bel said immediately. "I would never mate with a merman! Not only are we different species, but I'm part wolf, and he's part fish. Why the hell would I _enjoy_ that kind of relationship?"

"Because it could be true love," Hibari whispered, thinking of Mukuro.

"Feh. You vampires are so phony," Bel snickered. "How are we going to get out of here?"

"Swim?" Hibari answered.

Bel held out his hand. "I can't swim," he said. "Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _help the prince."_

And so, Hibari helped Bel out of the merpeople's enclosure, then went to find Fran. He soon did, and he took the merman's hand beneath the water, then hugged him, before taking him to the surface. Once they'd surfaced, Fran pointed to the top of their cave that was only a foot beneath the water. The two headed over there and sat down, and Hibari held Fran's hands in his own, looking seriously into the merman's eyes as he murmured, "I'm sorry. I think things would've gone smoother if I wasn't there."

Fran laughed dryly, and released himself from Hibari's grip. "Hibarin, you gave me courage. Don't worry about it."

The vampire sighed, and hugged Fran again. "I'm sorry."

"He said he's not into me, right?" Fran murmured. "I already knew he didn't like me like that. But I'm glad I confessed to him."

"Fran... I'm really sorry," Hibari said. "It must be tough."

Fran nodded. "It is. But don't worry about me. I'm okay. How's Basil?"

"Probably done taking care of himself by now," Hibari said dryly.

"Hey, Hibarin!"

Hibari glanced up to Dino, who was folding his arms like he was about to scold a child. "Get out of the merpeople's enclosure. You're NOT a merman!"

The vampire chuckled, and Fran led him back to his own enclosure. Hibari surfaced in the vampire's cage, and got up on to the bank, giving Fran only a glance goodbye, for all he could see of the merman when he turned was a submerging tail. He smiled, then looked for Basil. It seemed as though the younger vampire wasn't in the area, so he followed through the tunnels to their old cage, and saw that the hunting area was open. He headed in, and paused, confused when he didn't see Basil. He walked over to the observation area, and frowned when he saw the open gate. Someone had forgotten about him. Hibari walked of the enclosure, then folded his arms.

"Hey! Whose wise idea was it to let this vampire out of his cage?" he shouted. At first, there was no response, but then Mukuro walked out, and placed his hand on Hibari's shoulder, his eyes cold.

"Go on," he coaxed, indicating to the hunting area.

"Wait a second- where's Basil?" Hibari asked. A trace of happiness glinted through Mukuro's eyes, before it was masked by a more solemn face.

"You're aware that he was aroused earlier?" he asked. Hibari nodded. "Since you weren't going to take advantage of that, us tamers decided that we'd leap on the opportunity, and find him another mate."

"What are you getting at?" Hibari asked, his irritation, as well as worry, rising. Mukuro chuckled, and took the vampire's head.

"Love you, Hibarin," he husked, before touching their lips together. Hibari gasped, then struggled as Mukuro shoved him into the wall, their tongues meeting as the kiss deepened. Hibari moaned quietly when the hunter embraced him, and hesitantly returned the affection, placing his hands on the other's shoulders. Mukuro rasped his tongue over Hibari's fangs then, and the vampire shut his eyes tightly, trembling as he tried to resist his overwhelming urge to bite. But then, the hunter parted from him, and coaxed the ravenette's head down, offering him his neck. "C'mon, sweet vampire, take what belongs to you," he chuckled. Hibari immediately clamped down on the skin, making Mukuro gasp as he lost to temptation, and the two pressed their bodies together, moaning in sync as one took pleasure from being bitten, and the other savored the sweet blood. "I love you," Mukuro rasped. "And now that Basil can't take you from me..."

Suddenly, Hibari remembered his purpose, and reluctantly detached himself from the illusionist's throat. "Mukuro... what happened to Basil?"

The hunter started at a chuckle, but soon laughed, his voice making Hibari shudder. "We fed his sorry little body to Xanxus," he said, after calming. Hibari stared, shocked, then shoved Mukuro back and ran, finding that it was easier when he didn't have any leash. He threw himself into the door to Xanxus's cage, and repeated the action until the locked door swung wide open, and then he ran down the stairs, eventually tripping and sliding to the bottom, his body already sore.

"Basil!" he called, his expression firm. "Basil!"

"My Lord...," came the weak reply. Hibari adjusted to the darkness and ran over to the cage, then flinched as an overpowering scent of blood took over him.

"Basil? Basil!" A hiss from the back of the cage told Hibari that things hadn't gone well. "Basil, are you okay?" he breathed, leaning down as he tried to see his friend's body. A weak hand reached through the bars, and was placed on the ground.

"Don't open the cage, Lord Hibarin, or he'll hurt thee as well," Basil rasped. Hibari felt his eyes watering at the weak voice, then summoned his courage and gripped the bars of the cage, trying to open them. Xanxus growled from the back of the cage, but Hibari didn't care, only continued to open the bars until he could reach through them. He grabbed Basil's arm and yanked him out of the enclosure roughly, then fought to close the bars again. Immediately, Xanxus lunged at him, and sank his fangs into the other's arm, but Hibari quickly tore his arm away, and hoisted Basil up onto his shoulder, before running up the stairs at full speed. He collapsed at the top of the flight, then turned, slammed the door shut, and looked at Basil. He held the younger vampire's head, looking into those eyes, and bit his lip when he saw the excessive wounds.

Basil smiled, and closed his eyes. "Lord Hibarin, thou gets more beautiful every time I see thee," he rasped. "I love thee... _I love thee so much..."_

"I love you, too," Hibari murmured, leaning in and kissing the smaller vampire, holding the body loosely in his arms. He made sure that he only touched Basil with his utmost gentleness, but the younger vampire winced nonetheless.

The ravenette stood, holding Basil bridal style in his arms, then started back towards their enclosure. Mukuro watched with jealous, mismatched eyes, but he knew that he couldn't prevent what was happening.

Those two were about to make claims to each other's bodies, and he couldn't stop that.

-**End Chapter**

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><p>All right, I'm giving you a choice here, again! Do you WANT to see a Basil18 yaoi scene? Majority will rule!<p>

Please review!


	14. The Tame

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Fourteen: The Tame**

8I Right from the start, I got sooo many reviews against the yaoi scene... Jeez, you people are really loyal to your pairings, ne? *a bit suprised*

All right, there won't be any yaoi scene, but know that just because it wasn't described, doesn't mean it didn't happen. *still need plot movement here*

**TThis story WILL be a 6918 fanfiction in the end! Pleeease don't give it up due to the Basil18/18Basil that it takes to get us there!**

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><p>"Nn... Lord... Hibarin..."<p>

Hibari sighed as Basil nuzzled into his shoulder, and petted the other's head. He was certainly refreshed after what they had done, but he couldn't help feeling a little guilty. After all, he hadn't given Basil his first time, but his second, and by giving away his second, he was inevitably hurting Mukuro. Besides, he wasn't experiencing 'love' with Basil, only a sort of _'I pity you'_ lust, which more or less made the situation worse. Even though the vampire didn't mean to hurt Basil by having sex with him, he could sense that the younger vampire was aware of his feelings already. His true feelings, that was.

"Hey, Hibarin..." Hibari looked up and saw Mukuro by the door, so, after a moment was spent wondering whether he should stay or go, he lied Basil in the grass and walked over to the enclosure entrance. "Look, I know what you and he did... and I know I can't prevent any feelings from surfacing in you... and I also know that you won't understand when I say this, but... I love you... okay...?"

Hibari looked down, over his bare chest, and blushed lightly, even though he was still half-dressed. "Mukuro... I...," he began, but he didn't know what to say. "I... also..."

_'He killed my parents,'_ Hibari remembered. He shook his head.

"Nevermind... nothing..."

"... If you and Basil show us what your instinctual reproductive behaviors are... we're going to eventually set both of you free," Mukuro said.

"What 'reproductive behaviors?'" Hibari asked.

"... Well... for starters, how you court one another," Mukuro began. "How protective you become of one another... how blood exchange differs when you're _mates_... you know..."

"And... you're okay with this?" Hibari asked.

"Yes," Mukuro said, yet he looked reluctant. "Yes, I'm okay with it, Hibari. I need to... focus on... my job... after all..."

"You sound hesitant," Hibari murmured. Mukuro glared at him.

"I don't have a choice, Hibarin. Just ignore me and be with Basil, already."

Hibari frowned, irritated. What he couldn't understand wasn't about Mukuro loving him, it was about Mukuro's _acceptance_ of the situation. He couldn't comprehend that someone who loved him could just as easily let him go. It just didn't add up! "Okay, so... I'll get together with Basil," he said, not trying to hide the grumpy look on his face. Mukuro smiled sadly, and caressed the vampire's cheek for a moment so fleeting that it only hurt Hibari more.

"You'll be okay, Hibari. You'll be fine... even if I'm not with you..."

'I won't be fine,' Hibari thought, looking back at Basil. 'Mukuro... you never hesitate to hurt me physically... but... why are you okay with hurting me _emotionally_, too?'

Mukuro soon left, and Hibari followed through the tunnel back to their former enclosure, intending to get Dino to let him out for a while. Mukuro left the enclosure, and soon after, the hunting grounds opened for the vampires. Hibari decided to take that route to get to the other tamer, but when he entered the hunting grounds, instead, he saw Bel and Hayato there. In fact, he saw them in such an awkward position that he almost left the hunting enclosure because of it. But as it turned out, he was neutral when it came to werewolf porn, and Hibari went over to the pond so that he could get something to drink. Shortly after he'd taken his third swallow of water, however, a pair of pants hit him in the face.

"Get out, you pervert!" shouted Hayato. Hibari grunted and glared at the two werewolves, who were now getting themselves dressed.

"You're the ones who were mating in here when it was our turn to hunt," he protested.

"Shishishi, that's true," Bel laughed.

"Why are you guys suddenly into one another, anyway?" the vampire asked. Hayato blushed darkly, and pointed an accusing finger at Bel as he struggled to get his belt on.

"It was all his fault!" Hayato said. "I told him I was only intrested in boss, but he wouldn't listen!"

"All right, so why was Bel...?" Hibari sighed.

"I was just expressing my distaste at being asked out by a FISH," Bel said, turning his mate's arm so that he'd be pointing in the direction of the merpeople's tank.

"So you're expressing that by forcing Hayato into something he doesn't want to do, huh?" the vampire muttered. "I feel for you, Hayato."

Bel walked over and snatched up his pants from Hibari's side, then said, "Hayato doesn't care. Tsunayoshi turned him down, anyway."

"Shut up!" Hayato barked, his wolf ears lying flat.

Hibari tried to ignore the happily waving blonde tail as Bel walked away from him, and instead focused on finding out more of what had taken place between the two. "What's up with you and the scientist?" he asked. Hayato looked down.

"It's nothing... he just told me that he wasn't intrested," he murmured. "'Cause the other day, I got to see him... he said it was impossible."

"That's a real letdown," Hibari sighed, walking over and patting the werewolf's shoulder. "Maybe there's someone else for you out there."

"Maybe," Hayato said bitterly, before looking down at Hibari's chest. "But I'm not intrested in YOU like that."

Hibari glanced at himself. "Hey, I can be shirtless if I want to. Both you guys and the centaurs do it all the time," he said, placing his hands on his hips. Hayato snorted and folded his arms.

"We're werewolves, for one, and the centaurs go _naked_ all the time. Huge difference."

"They DO have fur," Hibari chuckled, then glanced back at the entrance as Basil walked into the enclosure. "You guys should head back to your enclosure before-"

"HAYATO! BEL! MOVE IT!" shouted Mukuro from the observation area. Both werewolves left on the spot, and Hibari walked over to the observation area, then waited as Mukuro left, and Dino walked over, a few observers at his side.

"Oh- hi, Hibarin, what's up?" Dino asked, reaching through the bars to pat Hibari on the head. Hibari allowed the belittling movement, but just as he was about to ask about going to see the merpeople or centaurs or something, one of the girls squealed.

"Can I pet him, too?" she asked.

"Me too!" said another observer.

"Uh- well, I don't know," Dino said, glancing back at them, "he's used to me, but..."

"It's fine," Hibari sighed. "But you're gonna give me something in return, _right?"_

"Oh, sure," the tamer replied. "All right, I guess you can pet him."

Hibari allowed himself to be fussed over for a moment, but he closed his eyes to endure it. They thought that was very cute of him to do so, anyway. Finally, once they'd backed off, Hibari reached up, straightened out his hair, and looked at Dino. "I want to help out with your work today."

Dino sighed. "Man, Hibarin, I'm pretty busy today... I don't have time to babysit yo-"

"That's why I said I wanted to help out," Hibari replied, gripping the bars in his hands and baring his fangs so that Dino knew he meant business. After a short standoff, Dino gave in.

"Fine. Okay? I give. But do me a favor, and don't bite anyone! Especially in front of the guests," he whispered to the vampire. He checked to see if Basil was focusing on hunting, then quickly went over to the computers and opened the observing area gates, before clipping the leash on to the collar Hibari wore. He allowed the vampire to step out, then closed the gate behind him, and pulled the vampire a couple feet away from the guests. "All right, everyone, trust me, this is perfectly safe, as you've seen, this particular vampire is very tame!" he announced.

"I have a question," one of them said. Dino nodded at her, and she asked. "Who trained it to talk?"

Hibari flushed red and folded his arms, glaring at Dino. The tamer immediately patted his shoulder, and told the girl, "No one trains them, vampires know how to speak." Satisfied, Hibari nodded, smirking, but then another question was asked.

"So you taught it how to help out around the Science Center?"

Hibari twitched. Were _all_ of the creatures considered uncivilized pets here? "Yes, actually," Dino said. "He picked up on it really quickly, though."

"Why's he wearing pants?" someone else asked. That crossed the line for Hibari.

"All right, look!" he said, placing a hand on his chest. "I may be a different species, but I'm _not_ a performing monkey! Vampires are dignified creatures, and we are allowed to wear clothes, damn it!"

"Who'd he learn the cussing from?" asked another.

"Probably Mukuro," Dino answered, looking at Hibari with almost pitiful eyes. The vampire snorted, and walked over to the observer's area, for Basil had come up to the bars with his shirt.

"Don't want thou to catch another cold," the younger vampire murmured as he handed over the clothes. Hibari nodded and took his shirt and cape, wanting to prove his point anyway.

He walked back towards Dino, and started getting dressed as the blonde continued to inform the crowd about his kind. "So that's why they're becoming extinct," he said. "They are all raised to believe that they shouldn't mate unless they feel _true love_ for their mate."

"So does Basil and Hibarin share true love?" someone asked. Dino chuckled.

"Well, I suppose that depends on how you look at it, but they are mates," he replied. "Anyway, we're still learning about their reproductive habits, but I can tell you this. Blood exchange turns out to be a completely romantic event," he said. "I have yet to see these two mate without one being attatched to the other's neck."

Hibari blushed, and stared at Dino in shock. "Were you WATCHING us?" he hissed. Dino grinned.

"It's all part of the job, Hibarin. I watch _everyone_, actually." The vampire looked away, a little flustered to have realized that, but he was able to distract himself when Dino began to talk again. "Now, does anyone know how the fangs work?" Nobody answered, so the tamer began to elaborate. "There's a little slit on the back on the fang, so when they bite down, they're able to take the blood out as if they're using straws. Hey, Hibarin, you mind opening your mouth so I can demonstrate? You'd be helping out." Hibari hesitantly opened his mouth, and Dino told him to stay calm as he put a mirror on the inside of his mouth. "Now, if you look closely, you can see the cut in his fangs." Everyone came up close and observed, and Hibari rolled his eyes, making an effort not to bite the mirror, or anyone's fingers that strayed to close to his fangs. But, to his relief, that was over soon, and he could go back to focusing on tying his cape on. "Another thing about vampires is that they try not to cause pain when they bite. They believe that inflicting pain without neccessary is-"

"A waste of time," Hibari finished. "It's not good to treat your host by causing them pain."

Dino glanced at the vampire, then smiled. "Yeah. That's it."

"Can we go see the centaurs now?" someone asked. Dino looked at his watch.

"Oh- it IS about time for them to be feeding," he said.

Hibari immediately perked up. "I can help with that," he said. The tamer laughed lightly.

"Yeah, Hibarin's a real pro with the centaurs."

The small group walked up to the centaur enclosure, and Dino undid Hibari's leash, looking at him seriously. "Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _be a good boy and help out_." Hibari nodded and hopped the fence, while Dino casually took the gate. "You can get Byakuran and Takeshi, right?" he asked.

"Yeah," Hibari answered, approaching Byakuran. The hybrid stood, and reared up, before landing back on the ground with a snort. Hibari bowed, and muttered, "You still upset? Basil and I are mates now, you know."

Byakuran sighed, and bowed as well. "All right, vampire. If you say so," he sighed. Hibari took the centaur's hand, and led him out of the enclosure, then noticed the observer's looking at the centaur in awe.

"Hey, are you cool with being petted?" he snickered. Almost instantly, a wing hit the back of his head.

"Don't even suggest it," Byakuran snorted. Hibari chuckled, and led the halfbreed down the ramp, then sighed when Byakuran cantered into the enclosure. Hibari quickly checked to make sure that Basil had left the enclosure, then headed back up the ramp to find Takeshi. As he was heading up, a certain appaloosa-pelted centaur was coming down, and Kikyo glared at the vampire, flicking him with his wavy-haired tail as he was led by Dino down the ramp. Hibari walked into the enclosure, and approached Takeshi, but yelped when he was suddenly tackled and held down by a silver-haired centaur. Hooves pinned his arms to the ground, almost crushing them as the centaur who bared them reared up. Hibari gasped, then cried out in pain when those hooves slammed down on his arms, snapping the bones instantly.

"You can't fool me!" he shouted. "Vampire's are dangerous to the _extreme!"_

"Ryohei!" Takeshi shouted, galloping over. "Stop it! He's not dangerous!"

"He is!" the centaur yelled. "Kikyo said so!"

Hibari could see Takeshi and Ryohei get into an arm lock, and they wrestled about until the ebony-coated centaur pushed his friend back. Immediately, Hibari scrambled to his feet, and gasped when he felt the hurt bone in his arms. Takeshi then trotted up to him, picked him up, placed the vampire on his back, and headed for the ramp, then cautiously began down the ramp with Hibari on his back. Hibari sighed, leaning against the human backside as the two of them headed down, and, upon reaching the bottom, Takeshi trotted over to Byakuran. "Hey, Byakuran! Ryohei just... you need to heal Hibarin again."

Byakuran snorted, and Takeshi let the vampire off his back. "All right, but _seriously_..."

Hibari crawled beneath the hybrid's outstretched wing, longing for relief from the pain, and panted as the healing process began. Soon after, however, Dino ran over to them. "Hibarin, are you all right?"

"He's been injured by Ryohei," Takeshi explained. "Ryohei almost crushed his arms."

Dino ran back up the ramp, and sighed when he saw the silver centaur racing around the enclosure. Sighing, he looked at the whip on my belt. "He's been like this ever since Lussuria stopped visiting him," he murmured. "Maybe... it's about time to shoot him."

-**End Chapter**

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><p>Hehe! Mostly side-pairing development here! But don't worry, it will all turn out as B26, 5980, 6918, and Ryohei won't be shot.<p>

Please Review!


	15. The Broken

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Fifteen: The Broken**

_~This chapter will focus mainly on the story of Hayato the werewolf, but the main plot will be weaved in throughout~_

A/N: **To Anonymous reviewer MukuroxHibari,** please bear with me. The summary did say 18Basil, and so there IS18Basil. Your life isn't ruined because of the tiny bit of that pairing, and if you're going to be hating on those chapters because of it, I will request that you move on to a story that's more your taste. Also, I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't make rude comments about other reviews. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, but not so much that they need to put down people who don't share it. Thank you.

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><p>Hayato groaned quietly, brushing a hand over his hip as he glared at the sleeping prince beside him. 'All right, so I made a mistake by running to him for comfort. No big deal!' he thought. 'It'll pass. I know he's not intrested in me. There's no doubt that he's going to eventually stop... so why can't I stop worrying about it?'<p>

"Hey, Hayato," Dino said quietly, walking into the enclosure. "I know you're a bit nocturnal, and the centaurs aren't grazing right now. Do you want to go out and hunt?"

"Sure," the silverette answered. He watched as the door opened, then followed the tunnel into the hunting area. But when he got into the small enclosure, he saw that Dino hadn't been entirely right; there was an ebony-pelted centaur asleep in the hunting area. Nevertheless, Hayato didn't mind him, and went to start fishing.

A little later, however, a third door opened, and Hibari came out, yawning. He stared at the two as he entered, and Hayato snorted, looking back at the pond. "Hayato... Takeshi, too," the vampire greeted. "What're you doing out?"

"Oh- I fell asleep during grazing... sorry," Takeshi apologized, standing. "Oh- when did the werewolf get here? You're pretty quiet, Hayato!" he laughed. Hayato sighed, then broke into a yawn, before flashing out a hand and grabbing a fish, using his slightly-sharpened nails to help hold it.

"I didn't want to wake you," he muttered. "Hibarin... come here for a sec."

Hibari walked over to the werewolf, and sat down beside him, looking concerned. "What's up, Hayato?" he asked, his gray eyes almost glowing in the dark.

"Bel's up," the silverette said darkly. "He's acting as though we're already mates, and I don't appreciate it."

The vampire seemed to think for a moment, before suggesting, "What if you got a mate before Bel gets too crazy about this?"

"Impossible!" Hayato nearly shouted. He calmed himself, then said, "I can't. Boss- er, Tsuna, isn't intrested in me..." The silverette frowned, then, for once more, Tsuna's words echoed in the back of his head.

_'I'm sorry, Hayato, but... uh... I'm not a werewolf... nor am I intrested... so... please... just, please... mate with Bel instead!'_

What a horrible thing to request. Hayato wrinkled his nose in disguest when he recalled the words, then, his ears flattened, asked, "How do you forget about something like that?"

"... Well... I'm not quite sure," Hibari answered. "You could try to take a mate other than him, Hayato."

"Like who?" Hayato barked, frustrated at himself for not having an alternative route. "I hardly even know anyone else."

Hibari sighed, and patted the werewolf's shoulder. "Don't worry," he said, "I'm sure that you'll find someone."

"Don't you get it?" Hayato snarled. "It's impossible to meet anyone new here!"

"Well, for starters, you could meet me," Takeshi suddenly cut in, walking over to the two. Hayato twitched, thinking that centaurs weren't exactly the brightest, then decided against being picky.

"Takeshi," Hibari greeted. "Hayato's having trouble getting himself _out of_ a relationship with Bel, and _into_ a relationship that he can enjoy."

"Yeesh, complicated," Takeshi answered, turning to Hayato. "Have you tried to just tell him you're not intrested?"

"Hell yeah, I've tried that!" Hayato protested. "He won't listen!"

"Bel's focused on erasing the memory of being nearly half-drowned and merman-kissed," Hibari explained. "Fran has a huge crush on him."

"Aw, poor kid," Takeshi sighed. "I know how that goes. Anyway, Hayato, it sounds like he's just using you as an excuse not to mate with Fran."

"That's it, exactly," the silverette muttered, folding his legs close as he began to eat his catch. Suddenly, from the pond, a merman surfaced.

"Fran!" Hibari exclaimed.

"Hibarin!" Fran returned in a sort of mocking deadpan voice. "I just got the sense that someone was talkin' 'bout me. Plus, I was wondering how you all got into the same enclosure and wanted to join the party."

"Maybe you can help me," Hayato said, his emerald eyes a little bright as he looked at the merman. "Any idea of someone who'll take me as their mate?"

"Hmm," Fran hummed. "Well, Hibarin and Basil are together, Byakuran and Kikyo- I _think_- are together, so are Squalo and Xanxus in a weird sort of way, Mukuro's crushing on Hibarim, the scientists are sorta off-limits... maybe... Dino?"

"Nah, I heard he's got a girlfriend," Takeshi said.

"What?" Fran said. "No way; he's not straight."

"What's 'straight' mean?" Takeshi asked awkwardly. Fran sighed.

"Stupid centaur..."

"Hey, I don't know either," Hibari muttered. The merman looked at him apologetically, then at Hayato, who was making a face as though he didn't know either.

"Okay, listen," he began. "For humans, 'straight' means a male is attracted to females, and females are attracted to males."

"So basically, 'straight' is a fancy way of saying that two different species are attracted to one another?" Hibari asked.

"No, no, males and females aren't different species, Hibarin!" Fran said, folding his arms on the edge of the land. "Then 'gay' is two males attracted to each other, and 'lesbian' is two females that are attracted to each other."

The three still looked confused, so Fran facepalmed, and muttered, "Okay, forget it, all right? You don't care about that, I get it. What I'm saying is, I didn't think Dino liked girls."

"Well, that's okay, I didn't really like him, anyways," Hayato sighed. "Anyone else?"

Suddenly, Takeshi gave a bashful smile, and sat down beside the werewolf. "Well... there's me," he offered. Hayato glanced at him, then stared, stunned at the centaur for making a suggestion like that so easily.

"Yeah, I guess, there's you," Hayato mumbled, looking away. Takeshi grinned, then suddenly took Hayato in his arms, and the silverette yelped with suprise, starting to squirm.

"Let me go! I'm not a hugger!" he snapped, thrashing about in the loose, centaur hug. "S-seriously, centaur, let me go!"

"Haha, my name's Takeshi," the other said. "C'mon, call me Takeshi. Please?"

"Che! I knew centaurs weren't right in the head, this _sucks!"_ Hayato shouted. "Oi, Hibari Natsu Kyoya II! Help me!" As if he was unprepared for the command, the effect was instantaneous. Hibari swept Hayato from Takeshi's arms and pushed him back a few feet, leaving the werewolf in the dust, and rather frustrated. Hayato stood, and brushed himself off, then glanced at the tunnel back to his enclosure. "I've had enough for tonight," he said. "I'm leaving."

"Hayato!" Takeshi called as the werewolf started to leave. "Sorry, okay? I didn't know you were so resistant to that!" The werewolf glared at the ebony-coated centaur over his shoulder, then stalked back into his enclosure, leaving the centaur a bit hurt. "Well, jeez," he mumbled, looking a little embarassed. "I'm sorry..."

"Hey, it's not your fault, Takeshi," Hibari said, moving back to the other two. "Don't worry about him."

"Yeah, it's not your fault Hayato's a little bit of a jerk," Fran echoed, pushing himself partly out of the water to place a hand on the centaur's shoulder. Takeshi shrugged him off, and stood up, then stretched.

"I'm gonna head back to my enclosure," he sighed. "Later, guys."

"Bye, Takeshi," Hibari sighed, looking a bit down. "Man, poor guy."

"Yeah," Fran agreed. "He was just trying to help."

"Hibarin!" called someone from the observer's area. Hibari glanced in that direction, and blushed lightly when he saw Mukuro, staring at him with that creepy, mismatched gaze. "C'mere a sec."

"Later, Fran," Hibari said, standing and leaving. He could hear the merman submerge after he'd left, and he walked up to the waiting hunter, more curious than wary. "Need something?" he asked.

"Yes. I do," Mukuro sighed. "I'm going to let you out. I need to take you somewhere."

Hibari nodded, then watched the gate go up, before allowing Mukuro to clip a leash to him. He stepped out, the gate was lowered, and Mukuro was soon leading him to a place where he believed he'd gone before. They entered a room together, and Hibari looked around it, before realizing that this was where Mukuro had taken his first time. "Mukuro, uh," he began, stepping back. "I don't really want to mate with you tonight, or... or any night, for that matter. I'm... Basil's mate now, remember...?"

"I'm fully aware of that," Mukuro replied. "And I respect that with minimal hesitance. I truly just wish to show- and possibly give- you something."

Hibari reluctantly followed the hunter up to a cabinet, then waited as Mukuro searched a few doors. Soon after, the illusionist pulled out a string- a necklace- with two fangs hanging from it. "Do you know what this is?" he asked, holding it in front of the vampire. Hibari only stared, angered, so Mukuro tapped him on the nose with a finger, bringing the attention back on him. "Do you know what it is, Hibari Kyoya?"

As the hunter had only used part of his name, Hibari didn't have to answer, but he soon swallowed his emotion and said, "It's jewelry crafted of vampire fangs." Mukuro nodded.

"Can you identify whose fangs these are?"

Hibari took the necklace, and observed it closely, before sniffing it. As expected, there was no scent left on it. "I don't know," he said.

"They belonged to your father," Mukuro said, "Hibari Aki Kurou the third."

Hibari stared at the hunter, stunned, then back at the fangs. Indeed, they were oddly elongated, and particularly sharp. It didn't take much proof to see that Mukuro was telling him the truth. "These are... my father's...," he repeated, emotion flowing back into his veins from the bottom of his heart. When the feelings returned, Hibari looked down, then rasped, "Where did you get this?"

"Where? I made it," Mukuro replied. "Right after I killed them, I harvested their fangs. Don't you get it, Kyoya? People will pay anything for stuff like this. But his are still here. More than likely, they were just too weapon-like for people to want to purchase. Besides, the smaller the fangs, the cheaper. Do you want it? You can keep it."

Hibari clutched the fangs close to his chest, and came forward, resting his head on the hunter's shoulder. "How long did it take you to find this?" he asked.

"Well, counting the amount of time it took to rummage through all my drawers, about three hours," Mukuro answered.

"Thank you," Hibari breathed, before carefully and gently biting into the hunter's neck. He could almost taste the hunter's smile as he drank, and he closed his eyes when he felt the hand on his back.

"So vampires have a 'thank you' bite, too, hm?" Mukuro chuckled. "I love you, Hibarin. I love you."

Hibari parted from the other, and placed the necklace around his neck, before coming in and kissing the hunter. When he parted, however, his eyes were sad. "I can't love you," he murmured. Mukuro nodded.

"I know."

"It hurts...," Hibari whispered. The hunter gave him another nod.

"I know."

"I feel so bad for you," the vampire sighed, stepping back. "How does it feel? Not being able to have me in your arms?"

The hunter gave a dry chuckle. "I have no room to walk about in my own heart. That's what it feels like."

"How odd," Hibari murmured, before getting suddenly quite drowsy. He slumped into the hunter, and Mukuro sighed, picking him up and starting to take him back to the vampire enclosure.

He knew that Hibari would drink his blood.

What else would he have taken all those sleeping pills for?

-**End Chapter**

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><p>DAMN IT, SUPERNATURAL-DEMONIC, U SCARED MEEEEE! Now go and erase all memory of my password before I set a troll on your DA account! (Jk, too nice for that.)<p>

Please Review!


	16. The Sickened

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Sixteen: The Sickened**

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><p>Hibari yawned, his eyes fluttering open, and he sat up, then looked around the enclosure. <em>'Wait... was it just a dream...?<em>' he wondered. He then felt something around his neck, other than the collar, and he picked it up, then blushed to see the fangs around his neck. Was it so? The fangs of his father, Kurou the third? Yes. There was no doubt.

"Ah, Hibarin, so glad thou art awake," Basil greeted, pulling the vampire up by his arms. He glanced at the necklace, then his eyes quickly turned shocked. "Thou dost know what that is thou art wearing, right, Lord?"

"They're the fangs of my father," Hibari said, brushing his hand over the necklace. "Mukuro gave it to me."

"Art thou sure?" he asked, frowning. "My Lord, it is a frightful thing to see my love bearing the fangs of a fellow vampire as he might a trophy."

"Basil, c'mon, it's fine," he answered, before coming in and kissing the younger vampire's ear. "I love you."

Basil blushed, then hugged Hibari tightly. "Lord Hibarin... um... I... we need to perform the usual vampire courting habits in order to be set free. So... uh... wait for a moment." Basil walked away, and Hibari exhaled, then let his instincts take over. What Basil was more than likely planning was a blood exchange using a rose- one of the more intimate blood exchanges in the vampire society. Hibari's suspiscions were soon proved true as he smelled the rose fragrance mingled with the sweet scent of blood. "You may open thy eyes, my Lord." Hibari opened his eyes, and accepted the white rose whose petals had been turned pink by a blood-water solution. "Please, accept this," Basil offered, holding out the rose. Indeed, the younger vampire had done a superb job of getting the rose to absorb his blood, and Hibari could appreciate a male capable of pulling it off. He accepted the rose, then plucked out a petal, and punctured it with a fang. The petal slowly lost its red-tinted color as Hibari nursed on it, drawing out Basil's blood, and smiling when he felt the rich nutrients inside his mouth.

"Good work on this," he praised. "I don't think I've ever seen a bloody rose done so well!"

Basil smiled, and bowed. "Like I have said, thou art sweeter than the sweetest rose, so this sort of gift seems only suiting, dear Lord Hibarin. Besides... since I've met you... I've begun to love roses much more..."

It took a lot of work to nurture a rose through blood, as Hibari recalled, so he was greatly impressed by Basil's efforts. But another important thing was to never leave a gift unreturned. Hibari smiled, and offered Basil his throat. "Basil... thank you," he said. The younger vampire smiled, and shook his head.

"It's all right, Lord Hibarin. This gift is solely for thee. I need not have it returned," he said, smiling. "Besides... to see your reaction was treat enough for me, my Lord."

"Heh, you're such a poet," Hibari chuckled, petting his mate on the head. "Thank you."

"Thou art very welcome," Basil replied, smiling brightly. Thou needst not to worry about repaying a gift to me. I art absolutely fine just to share the air you breathe, Lord."

Hibari grinned, and took another blood-raised petal from the rose. As one of the vampires who appreciated the finer things, he was actually a bit seduced by Basil's gift. After all, blood plus rose equals a happy vampire- that was why it was a courting act to begin with. Every vampire had their own style of gifting it... as Basil had, some simply gave it to the other in person; some did it through a elegant, seductive dance; some placed the rose in an evident place that their love could associate to the giver; and others still gifted the roses in banquets (but those were often store-bought anyway). But Basil's way was good enough for Hibari to enjoy, for he disliked it when creatures beat around the bush, no pun intended.

"Aw, man, am I interrupting?" Hibari and Basil glanced to the door to see Dino, who was waving sheepishly. "Sorry about that. Uhh... well... Squalo asked to see you, Hibarin."

"Okay...?" Hibari said. "Sorry, Basil. I'll be right back."

Basil nodded, and went over to tend to the garden, letting Hibari go along with Dino out of the enclosure. To his suprise, this time out, he wasn't leashed, but he wasn't going to complain about it. He and Dino headed up to the merman enclosure, and, when they got there, Squalo was waiting patiently. "It's about damn time you got back!" he shouted. "What took you, tamer?"

"Er- that is... Basil was giving Hibari a gift, so... I didn't want to interrupt...," Dino said, grinning.

"Voi, vampire, _come_," Squalo said, before yanking Hibari down into the tank. Dino yelled something as Hibari was dragged under, but was ignored, for both Hibari and Squalo were determined to accomplish something- even if the vampire didn't yet know what that 'something' was. Squalo pulled him through a tunnel, but, as Hibari was running out of air, he pulled the merman back, trying to send the message. There was an awkward pause, before Squalo hesitantly came forward, and kissed the vampire, giving him the oxygen to go on. Although highly disturbed, Hibari was able to make it the rest of the way through the tunnel with that.

When they surfaced once more, Hibari panted, and gasped out, "I can't believe you freaking _kissed_ me...!"

"What other choice did I have?" Squalo snorted. "Forget that, all right? I need your help, badly."

"What is it?" Hibari asked, immediately giving Squalo his undivided attention.

"... It's Xanxus," Squalo said, biting his lip. "That bastard's sick, and I think it's my fault."

"Why don't you tell the scientists?" the vampire asked, looking around the place they'd surfaced in, and, using his night vision, he could identify the place as Xanxus's cave.

"Because they'll shoot him," Squalo said, worry thick in his voice. "He was too strong to be subdued by a shot before, but this is the first time I've ever known him sick, and he's not taking it well."

"But I don't know what to do about it!" Hibari protested. "It's not like I'm a doctor!" Squalo lifted himself out of the water, and helped the vampire out as well as his legs formed, before walking up to Xanxus's cage, dangerously close. "Hey, be careful!" Hibari warned.

"Don't worry... he's sleeping," Squalo muttered, starting to pick the cage lock.

"Squalo, that guy's trouble! _Seriously!"_ Hibari protested, taking a step back towards the tunnel down the to the merman enclosure. Squalo soon opened the cage door, and walked in, then started to drag Xanxus out of the enclosure, looking concerned still. He lied the older vampire down beside Hibari, then looked up at the vampire with stern eyes. "Do me a favor, and let him drink your blood."

"What? No!" Hibari said, stepping back again. "The last time I did, he really hurt me...!"

Squalo snorted, and scooped up a handful of water, before pouring it over Xanxus's forehead. "C'mon, boss, wake up..."

Xanxus groaned, and opened his eyes, wiping the water off of his face as he glared at Squalo. "Damned shark trash," he snorted.

"Boss, I've got Hibarin here, willing to help you."

"Not so willing...," Hibari muttered.

"C'mere, little bird," Xanxus hissed, reaching out to take Hibari's arm. The other vampire didn't let him get within inches of his arm, but then looked at Squalo, nervous.

"Squalo, seriously, I don't want to," he protested. Squalo sighed, then indicated to his shoulder. Hibari looked at it, and could identify, even in the dark the many bite marks across Squalo's shoulder. "Hibarin, do me a favor, and just give him your wrist."

Hibari hesitated, but eventually offered his wrist to Xanxus, feeling that it was the right thing to do. Xanxus smirked, and his cold lips met Hibari's pale flesh, as if trying to soothe it before he punctured the skin with his rough fangs. With a quiet whimper, Hibari endured, and allowed his blood to be taken by the older vampire, even though he was bothered by the fact that Xanxus hadn't used any precautions to take away the pain. After a brief, but apparently satisfying drink, Xanxus backed off, a trace of blood lingering on his chin still. "Thanks, little bird," he chuckled, "I really needed that." Hibari nodded apprehensively, and Xanxus chuckled once more, before suddenly coughing, turning his head away from the two as he did so. "Damn," he cursed. "Freaking thing..."

Squalo sighed, and gently rubbed the vampire's back, looking up at Hibari with hopeful eyes. "Do you have any idea- _any idea at all_- as to what I can do to help him?"

Hibari shook his head, then muttered, "I myself have only been sick once... and that was cured by the medicine that the scientists had."

"Then... could you go to get some medicine for him?" Squalo asked. "Don't tell them who it's for, just-"

"Y'know, Squalo, that guy there nearly killed Basil. I have no reason to help him," Hibari said.

"Oh, Hibarin~!" called another voice. "I have a reason for you!" Squalo and Hibari turned as a second merman pulled himself up on to the land and scrambled over, looking blind. "It's really dark in here... where are you?_ Hello~o?"_

"Over _HERE_, Fran!" Squalo yelled, making the voice echo obnoxiously throughout the cave. After it had at last died down, Xanxus punched the shark for being loud, and Fran finally released his facepalm.

"Well _that_ didn't help," he muttered. "Anyway! Before I stray too far from the water, Hibarin, just think of the love you'll be wrecking if you don't help out!"

"What the hell is that supposed to mean? There's no way that that... _thing_ is capable of love!" Hibari protested, jabbing a thumb at Xanxus.

"Maybe that's true," Fran admitted. "But _Squalo_, on the other hand..."

"VOI! FRAN, HOW ABOUT YOU SHUT UP?" Squalo screamed, but, even in the dark, Hibari could see the blush that he needed to in order to prove Fran's statement true. Hibari thought for a while, weighing the pros and cons of helping out a disgraceful, sadistic vampire that would probably die some horrible death if he didn't die sick anyway. It wasn't like he saw Xanxus very often in the first place, so it didn't really matter what he did, and he'd most likely earn some trust if he did this, whether it was from the loving merman or the cruel vampire was still up for debate.

Suddenly, a lantern was held out to the four, before it was dropped, illuminating Dino's shocked face for a mere second before it went out. There was a pause, before Hibari murmured, "Dino? You okay?"

"Wh-what's Xanxus doing out of his e-enclosure? Get him back in, one of you, please!" came the stuttering voice. "Please... _Please_..."

Squalo sighed, then helped Xanxus to his feet, before leading him back to his enclosure. Xanxus followed, but was clearly frustrated as the door was closed and locked behind him. "I'll come see you again later, boss," Squalo tried to soothe the older. "We'll find away, promise."  
>"Shut up, damn shark, just get out of my sight...," Xanxus grumbled, throwing a rock out from within his cage into Squalo's forehead. "Don't bother." Squalo seemed momentarily enraged, but easily calmed, and walked back to where Dino was.<p>

"He's in," he said.

"Thank god, I've had some bad times with that guy," Dino sighed. "Xanxus is... well... just not your average vampire."

Hibari placed a hand on the tamer's shoulder, but the other jumped in suprise, batting him away. "Dino... it's just me," Hibari sighed.

"Oh... Hibarin... all right," Dino said, relaxing. "I'm sorry, Hibarin. Being in here just gets me all tense."

"It's okay," Hibari replied. "Fran, Squalo, you two should probably..."

"Roger!" Fran said, before making a run, slip, and sort-of-dive into the tunnel to their enclosure. Squalo followed, and Dino and Hibari were alone with Xanxus.

"I didn't know that the merpeople could get into here," Dino groaned. "But _why_...?"

"Uh... Dino... Xanxus is sick," Hibari said. "And... uh... I want him to get tre-"

"Sick? Xanxus?" Dino gasped, "Is he subdued, then?"

"Uh... I... I guess?"

"Ah, finally, we can get rid-"

"I want him to get treated!" Hibari cut off. "Please don't shoot him..."

Dino stared at the vampire, then posed a cunning smile. "Sure, Hibarin. Whatever you say."

But only moments after Hibari had reentered the enclosure, a gunshot sounded.

-**End Chapter**

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><p>:P And there we have it. XS! Just as requested~. HOWEVER! Just remember that I don't kill characters. Don't hate. Y'don't know what happened. Hehe~<p>

Please Review!


	17. The Infatuated

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Seventeen: The Infatuated**

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><p>"My! I didn't know that so much would happen while I was away! Such a <em>beautiful<em> vampire he is~!"

Hibari turned, then walked over to the observation area, and surveyed the new person with his eyes. He was an older man, with an odd hairstyle- a shaved head, with a green-dyed bang, and his body was well built with the frame of a fighter. But his voice was more on the feminine side, which admittedly confused the vampire. "Who're you?" he asked.

"My, of course you don't know, _honey_, my name's Lussuria," said the man, placing a hand on his heart. "And your known as Hibarin, _yes?"_

"Yeah," Hibari said warily, trying to force a smile for a good impression.

"A~aw, such a gentleman," Lussuria gushed, "well, you're probably wondering, so I'll tell you this. I'm both a tamer, and a hunter, but I don't shoot, I _simply_ bring the creatures here. I'm the one who caught the merpeople and most of the centaurs."

"Ah."

"So, Dino tells me that you're a _great_ help around the lab, so I'm assuming you have some friends around this place, hmm? Have you met dear Fran?"

"Yes," Hibari said. "Fran's a good friend of mine... Takeshi and Hayato, too."

Lussuria chuckled, and folded his arms. "How _darling~._ Poor Basil back there... he's never quite warmed up to this place. But you and he are going to become mates, _right?"_

"I... I guess," Hibari mumbled, blushing lightly.

Lussuria smiled even wider, if that was even possible, and reached through the bars to pat Hibari on the head. "You're a good vampire, aren't you? Must've been raised in a good clan to have such _superb_ mannerisms~."

"Well... uh... actually, Mukuro killed my parents when I had turned of age to hunt on my own... so...," Hibari murmured. The reaction of Lussuria was stronger that he would've expected.

"MY! MUKURO-CHAN, GET OVER HERE!" he screamed over his shoulder. Mukuro soon walked over.

"What is it, Luss?" he asked. Lussuria pointed a finger at Hibari.

"You killed this poor darling's parents? My, Mukuro-chan, he was _so_ young!" Lussuria scolded.

"Hey, look, I didn't know him," Mukuro protested, raising his hands in defense. "All I knew was that his father was attacking humans, and they needed to be shot. All right? That's all I knew."

"But what a terrible way to become independant... I pity the poor thing," the other man sighed, gazing at Hibari, light blue eyes glinting beneath his sunglasses. "Truly _awful_."

"Well, jeez, Luss, I did give him a little something to say I was sorry, ne? You see that necklace he's wearing?" Mukuro challenged, pointing at the vampire's neck. "Those are his father's fangs!"

"MUKURO-CHAN, YOU HEARTLESS JERK!" Lussuria shrieked, clapping his cheeks with his hands. "You killed them, and now you're rubbing it in his face! What a _poor darling!"_

"Lussuria... uh... it's okay," Hibari said. "I'm... glad I can remember the vampire who cared for me in my early life. It doesn't matter... Mukuro was doing his job."

Lussuria paused, then nodded. "All right, Hibarin... if that's how you feel..."

The other man walked away, and Hibari sighed. "He's... loud...," he muttered. Mukuro chuckled, and shook his head.

"No worries, Hibarin, you'll get used to it."

* * *

><p><em>Meanwhile<em>...

"Ryo-chan! Did you miss me?" Lussuria called, swinging himself over the fence into the centaur enclosure. He looked around it, confused. "Ryo-chan?"

"Sorry, Luss, he's not here," said Takeshi, trotting over to the older man. Lussuria paused.

"Then... where is he?"

"They moved him to a different enclosure... he was going wild. But don't worry, he wasn't sh-"

BANG.

Lussuria jumped, and all of the centaurs reared up, spooked by the gunfire. "My, what... what was that?" Lussuria cried, before running out and running into the rogue vampire enclosure. He was shocked by what he saw. One of the mermen he'd captured- Squalo- was lying on the ground, his shoulder bleeding, and Reborn was standing there, aiming the pistol at Xanxus. Instantly, Lussuria rushed forward, and locked his arms around Reborn's. "You mustn't, boss!" he cried. "You _mustn't!_ Let Xanxus be... please...!"

Dino soon came out from behind the two, and began to drag Squalo away, grunting, "You really thought that would work..."

"Please... no... boss...," Squalo hissed, his face scrunched up in pain as he struggled to get back to the other creature. Dino took a spray bottle from his belt, and, having finally reason to use it, squirted water on to Squalo's waist, making his legs revert back into a tail. The merman grunted as he was pulled into the tamer's arms, then allowed his body to go limp, and placed a hand over his wounded shoulder. "Xanxus..."

"Let me go, Lussuria," Reborn commanded. "We need to get rid of this malicious beast, otherwise no good will come. Squalo would undoubtedly become Xanxus's mate, and that would leave Bluebell and Fran to easily become mates. We already have an accurate hypothesis on merpeople mating. We need those two to compete for her to prove our suspiscions."

"No!" Lussuria cried. "You don't understand! Merpeople almost _never_ take merpeople mates!"

"What?"

When the attention was on Lussuria, he was fast to elaborate. "You see, merpeople are creatures that usually have _very_ low self-esteem! They capsize boats and attack people purely because of that! It helps them feel better about themselves- more in control! But as a side of that, the merpeople who can't find their own beauty see beauty in _other_ creatures! That's why they have that charm to make themselves look human in the _first_ place, can't you see?"

"Oh wow, Luss... I... didn't know...," Dino murmured, looking at the wounded merman in his arms. "But they always seem so confident!"

"In captivity, they're offensive so that they can inflate their own egos. The thing is, merpeople are very loving creatures, but they don't love other merpeople! That's why poor Squalo's defending Xanxus! He's _found beauty in_ Xanxus!"

Lussuria finally began to calm down, and Reborn hesitantly put away his pistol. "So you're saying that crossbreeding is normal for merpeople," he concluded. The older tamer vigorously nodded, and Dino placed Squalo on the ground. Immediately, the merman shook all traces of water from his tail to reactivate the human charm, and hurriedly scrambled over the land to Xanxus.

"Voi, boss... you all right?" he asked. Xanxus snorted, but was smiling when he looked back at the silver-haired creature.

"Only thanks to you," he murmured.

Reborn snickered, and started back up the stairs. "I suppose we're going to have to redraw our assumptions on the merpeople. Lussuria, come along, you need to help."

"Wait... I need to see Ryohei, where is he?" Lussuria asked. "I just _know_ that he didn't want to see me go..."

Dino sighed. "Check the far pastures beyond the main centaur enclosure. He's in there. Poor guy was going crazy, 'cause you know how centaurs get all attatched..."

"So do people!" Lussuria announced, before starting to dash up the stairs, shouting, "I'm coming, Ryo-chaaaan!"

* * *

><p><em>The next day...<em>

"All right, Hibarin, listen up!" Dino called, "A new werewolf is coming in later, and he's more than likely going to have trouble understanding our layout. Help show him around?"

"Sure...," Hibari murmured. "I suppose I could..."

"He's really shy, Mukuro tells me, so you're going to have to be careful, okay?" Dino said.

"Yeah, I got it," Hibari said. "Ready anytime." Now that was a lie, and Hibari knew it. He still hated werewolves. "Can you tell me his name?"

"I'll let him tell you when he gets here," Dino replied. "Now, come out to the hunting area, Mukuro will lead him in at any time."

Hibari agreeably headed towards the hunting area, Basil following closely behind him. The two walked in, and Basil moved over to the pond, nodding to his mate when the vampire indicated that he was going to head out of the enclosure. "Go forth, Lord Hibarin. I dost not mind, however, I will pray to see thee soon..."

The older vampire leaned in and kissed Basil on the cheek, then walked over to the observation area. Sure enough, Mukuro eventually walked over, with a roped werewolf walking behind him. This creature had dark, indigo hair, and large wolf ears of the same hue sprouting from his head, but laid flat with a sort of anxiety. Trembling, purple eyes looked around the dark cave, and from those eyes stretched lavender, triangular markings that closely resembled those of Fran. His pale skin couldn't hide his slight, embarassed blush as he walked up to the cage, and Mukuro forced the captive to bow, showing Hibari the indigo wolf tail, as well as the hands that were bound tightly behind his back.

"Show some respect. This is a very high-classed vampire," Mukuro hissed.

Quivering slightly, the werewolf nodded, and whispered, "I'm sorry, sir..."

"Hibarin, are you okay with showing this petty thief around the place?" Mukuro asked, yanking the werewolf back up. Hibari nodded, and the enclosure was soon opened. He stepped out of it, and took the rope that was tied around the werewolf's neck in a sort of nuse, which only defiled the poor creature more. Although it felt very odd to hold another creature captive by use of a leash, Hibari accepted it, and looked back at Mukuro. "I'll let you show him about freely, because I trust you. But be careful- one wrong move, and you can lose my trust like this." The hunter snapped his fingers. "And that goes for you, too, werewolf."

He left, and Hibari sighed, glancing at the indigo-haired werewolf. "So... what's your name...?" he asked. The other looked up, and frowned.

"I... have no need to tell you, but... well... my name is... Mammon."

**-End Chapter**

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><p>We~ell, I was thinkin' about werewolf Mammon, and I just got all into it, so we all know my favorite love triangle, right? *hint hint* Don't worry (again), because main pairings in the end will be 6918, B26, XS, 8059, LussRyo, ByaKikyo, etc...

Please Review~


	18. The Humiliated

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Eighteen: The Humiliated**

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><p>Hibari led Mammon up the stairs, and coaxed him up to the fence, before whistling loudly. Immediately, the centaur Takeshi trotted up to them both, and smiled at the werewolf's curious eyes. "Hello there, Hibarin," he greeted. "Who's this?"<p>

"Mammon, a new werewolf," Hibari introduced. "Mammon, this is Takeshi, one of the centaurs."

"Nice to meet you, Mammon," Takeshi greeted, holding out his hand. The indigo-haired werewolf's ears lied flat, and he shook his head, for his hands were still bound behind his back.

"I... I'm sorry, I..."

"Oh, no, it's okay," Takeshi said, looking at the creature with pity. "I should be the one apologizing. Y'know, a lot of you guys are brought in like that..."

"Ah...," Mammon sighed, trying to force a smile. "Humans... they... they have no sense of shame when it comes to humiliating us..."

Hibari stared, suprised, for the werewolf suddenly looked like he could cry at any moment. "You okay, Mammon?" he whispered.

"No," the other answered plainly, shutting his eyes. "I'm not. Those freaking _monsters_ stripped me of everything but the clothes on my back! They don't understand!" he cried. "And to think... it wasn't just me! ... I'll get them for this," he gasped, tears hanging in his eyes. Hibari's gaze softened, and he placed his hand on the other's back, rubbing soothingly. He remembered what it felt like to be captured by the humans, and he could recall the pain of knowing he was no longer an equal... had been devistating. "Not to mention... everything I've worked for... _gone_...," Mammon whimpered, his tail tucked between his legs in the universal werewolf sign of depression and anxiety.

"Hey, it's all right, Mammon... you'll adapt," Hibari told the werewolf. "Trust me... I've... been here a while, and I felt the same way... but I got used to it, and I'm sure one day, you will too."

"I damn hope so...," Mammon muttered bitterly. "That's not the end of it, either. That Mukuro guy... just before he bound me and pulled me here... he said that he was going to kill my family the second I was in the hands of you, vampire. I... I don't get it. What did we do? _Why is he killing my family?"_

"Shh," Hibari tried to soothe the roped creature, "Mukuro... killed my family, too. It's just part of his job."

Mammon shook his head in disbelief, and glanced at the vampire with his broken, purple eyes. "You know the stereotype that all werewolves prefer to be barely clothed? _It's not true_. But the hunter thought that I was wearing a cloak and hat because I was hiding stolen money in it, so he took them. I got that cloak from my father when I was a child!"

"I'll talk to him," Hibari assured. "I'll get it back for you, okay?"

Mammon nodded sadly, and sighed, "Please... let's get on with this tour..."

"I'll see you later, Mammon," Takeshi said. "Good luck..."

The werewolf was led away by Hibari, who took him up to the merpeople enclosure then. "I'll introduce you to a friend of mine," he suggested. "Maybe that'll help you warm up to this place."

"_Maybe_," Mammon said.

Hibari brought the newcomer up to the top of the tank, and flicked a pebble into the water, which would create a tap just loud enough for Fran to hear it. Soon enough, the merman surfaced, and grinned at the two. "'Sup, Hibarin?" he asked. Hibari indicated to Mammon.

"We have a new werewolf. His name's Mammon," he said. "Mammon, this is Fran, a good friend of mine."

Fran was about to extend a hand when he saw that the werewolf's wrists were probably bound, and he threw himself out of the water, grabbing onto a hand behind Mammon's back and shaking heartily. "Nice to meet'ya," he said. "Do me a favor and mate with Hayato so that he keeps his paws off of my Belphegor."

Mammon paused, blushing lightly, then nodded, and Hibari smiled, for it looked like perhaps Mammon and Fran could be friends now, too. "Hey, Fran... where's Squalo?"

"Uh... long story short, he got shot, and he's being cared for in a special tank right now, but lucky him, they were kind enough to place said tank in the cave that Xanxus is in. The water has some pegasus feathers or something, I dunno, but it's got healing capabilities."

"Ah...," Hibari trailed. "Poor guy."

"Shot?" Mammon repeated. "They... _shoot_ the creatures that are captive?"

"Only if they've gone completely berserk," Fran explained. "They were gonna shoot Xanxus- a rogue vampire, but Squalo, my tankmate, defended Xanxus, and now he's healing."

"Did they still shoot the vampire?" Mammon asked.

"No... that tamer Lussuria talked them out of it," Fran assured the werewolf. "It's fine. Anyway, Hibari, we can't chat. It's just about feeding time, and then the centaurs are gonna get led down, and you and I both know that Dino'll freak if you're just hangin' out here all idle. You should go show mister werewolf your enclosure, or take him back to the werewolf place before we're done. Cuz I know how you are about helping Dino with the centaurs."

Hibari nodded, and bid Fran farewell, then took Mammon down and brought him around a corner to the werewolf enclosure, where Bel and Hayato were making out- although Hayato was obviously not in the mood. "Hey, boys!" Hibari called. "New member of the pack!"

Bel got off of the silverette in an instant and pressed himself up into the bars to see his newest potential mate. "Ooh, he's _pretty!"_ he giggled, "So much cuter than Hayato! What's the little guy's name?"

"Mammon," Hibari replied before the bound werewolf could protest about being called 'little guy.' He then reached to untie the ropes on the werewolf's wrists as he unlocked the cage door.

"Ushishi~ No, no, keep the ropes on, the prince likes ropes!" Bel laughed creepily, but Hibari just ignored him, before coaxing Mammon into the enclosure, while simultaneously slipping the rope off from around his throat, and closing the door behind him.

"Enjoy yourself, Mammon, I hope the three of you can get along," he sighed. He tried not to shudder when behind him he could hear the prince's maniacal laughter, and sighed, before heading back to his enclosure.

When he got back, Basil was waiting for him, already half-undressed. He blushed when the older vampire walked in, then smiled an anxious little smile. "O-oh, welcome back, Lord Hibarin...," he murmured. "B-beautiful as always, thou art." (Got that line from you, Supernatural-Demonic!)

"You all right?" Hibari asked, stepping forth and touching the younger's cheek with gentle fingers. Basil nodded, gulped, then sat down on the grass, beckoning the ravenette closer with a finger.

"Lord Hibarin, I invite thee to come closer," he husked. "Please, I believe now is an appropriate time to request that we..."

"Yes, I know," Hibari said, kneeling down on the grass beside Basil and untying his cape, before letting it fall to the ground. His hands moved to his buttons and worked them, opening each one with seductive slowness, before he let that, too, drop from his shoulders. He then leaned in, and kissed his mate with false passion, for he knew that he couldn't take this act seriously for Basil.

Whenever he mated with the smaller vampire, it was truly _'just sex'_ for him, because his vampiric instincts never chose Basil- they had chosen another. Still, when he looked into Basil's eyes to see such pure feelings within them, he couldn't bring himself to turn the other down. Basil was _dreadfully_ cute, _devistatingly_ loyal, and _sorrowfully_ serious about Hibari, and he felt that he'd never have the strength to crush such a delicate composition of a vampire's 'true love' emotion. He just... couldn't.

"Hah... Lord Hibarin...," Basil mewled, his arms hanging loosely around the vampire's neck as he sat in his lap, more or less teasing both of them in the process. Hibari groaned, and leaned in, before biting into the other's shoulder and savoring the sweetness that seeped into his mouth with delicate sensuality. "Nn... I... hah... I love thee...," the younger vampire panted, weaving his fingers into the older's dark hair and holding him in place on his neck. After taking in a satisfying drink, Hibari backed up, and dragged his tongue up Basil's throat, making the smaller vampire shudder in anticipation. "Please... my Lord... just a little further..."

_"Hey!"_

Hibari's attention snapped to the entrance, and he and Basil both blushed darkly when they saw Mukuro in the door. In an instant, every ounce of arousal took flight from the vampires, and they shyly reached for their clothes. "What is it, Mukuro?" Hibari asked, starting to button up his shirt again, and trying to hide the complete embarassment he felt.

"It's time for you two to hunt," Mukuro said.

Hibari glanced up at the sun above, and quickly analyzed its position, then glared at the hunter. "No, it's time for the werewolves to hunt!" he snarled. "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Mukuro snorted, and shrugged. "Maybe I DO to an extent, Hibarin."

Hibari growled in anger, and had attacked the hunter without a second of hesitation. "You bastard," he hissed into the other's ear, his hands gripping the other's wrists as he held the other down. "You're just hurting yourself by interrupting us..."

"I hate to see you with that pathetic vampire," Mukuro whispered. "I want you to take another mate."

"Basil is _not_ pathetic," Hibari snarled, before biting down harshly on the illusionist's neck, purposely biting into the largest nerve he could find. Immediately, Mukuro cried out in pain, but then forced Hibari up and kissed him. The vampire gasped, shocked at Mukuro for giving away their biggest secret right in front of Basil, then tried futily to break away. Their mouths parted, but now it was Mukuro who held Hibari's wrists. He was about to force the vampire into another kiss, when suddenly, Hibari noticed something on Mukuro's shirt, and, in an attempt to distract the hunter, Hibari asked, "Who's blood is that?"

Mukuro's face became enraged, and he quickly flipped their positions, and hissed, "It's _my_ blood."

"No it's not! It doesn't smell like you!" Hibari cried, turning his face away so that Mukuro couldn't kiss him. "Who's blood is it?"

"The blood of a werewolf, all right? I killed Mammon's family, big deal! The only thing you need to care about is how _I_ feel about you, Hibarin!"

Hibari stared at Mukuro, too disgusted for words, even when Mukuro leaned in and kissed him again, he couldn't do anything in protest. He was so stunned that the same man who spoke of murder could speak of love in such an easy manner. It was dispicable. Then, in a flash, Mukuro had been knocked over, and Basil was standing over him, a dagger carved from stone placed at the hunter's throat. "Thou will not take what belongs to me," he said in a clear voice. "Lord Hibarin dost not love thee! No, he loves me, hunter!"

"YOU didn't take his first time!" Mukuro snarled, grabbing the younger vampire's wrist and twisting it. Basil whimpered in pain, but then, Hibari threw himself back into the fray.

"Don't touch him!" he yelled at Mukuro. "He's my mate, you_ idiot!"_

"I won't accept it!" Mukuro shouted. "Don't you understand, Hibarin? You belong to me! I _own_ you! I have your full name!"

Hibari paused. "_You wouldn't."_

"Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, I order you to _take the dagger from Basil!"_ Mukuro commanded. Hibari stared, completely stunned, then shook his head.

"I won't!" he cried. An electric shock couldn't compare to the pain he felt when he was roughly slapped across the face.

_"Do it!"_

Hibari closed his eyes. "I won't!" he announced again. The shock this time made him gasp, but it wasn't enough to make him snap.

"_Go_, you freaking idiot! You don't love him!"

Hibari clenched his teeth, then looked at Basil. The younger vampire forfeited his dagger without any persuasion, and Hibari immediately touched the tip to Mukuro's throat. "I'll kill you," he hissed. "Because every ounce of hate in my body is now focused to the tip of this blade..."

CRACK.

Hibari gasped at the sting on his shoulder, and looked up, to see Dino, whip in hand. "Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, get off of him or perish!" he shouted, indicating to the vampire gun on his belt. Hibari thought for a moment, then decided it wasn't worth it anymore. He submitted, and walked to the back of the enclosure, Basil close behind him. "Well, I suppose it worked," Dino sighed, helping the vampire hunter up. "You all right, Mukuro?"

"I'm fine...," Mukuro sighed, rubbing his arm sorely. "Just a little jostled up..."

"Heh, you sure do pose as a real threat to those two...," Dino sighed, looking over at the two vampires who had now cuddled up close to one another in a sort of defensive manner. "I'm going to go explain, so you should head back and calm yourself." Dino walked over to the couple of vampires, and sat down in the grass before him, then bowed. When he came back up, Hibari nodded, giving him permit to speak. "I'm so sorry to have disturbed the both of you while you were about to mate, but you see, Reborn thought that we're not going to learn much more about you two unless we create a real-life scenario in which you're threatened by an intruding human. So, I'm really sorry, because I know that we've more than likely lost a lot of your trust by doing this, but we had no choice. The big question, you see, is if a vampire would deny his instincts for his mate."

"A vampire would do much more than just that!" Basil protested. "A vampire would readily _die_ for his mate!"

That said, Basil buried himself in Hibari's chest, and the older vampire rubbed Basil's back, knowing that his mate had thought that Mukuro would take him away, and pitying him for having to experience the 'mate's paranoia,' as it was referred to in most vampire societies. "I'm sorry," Dino apologized once more, standing. "But that's just how it is."

Hibari glanced at the gently crying vampire, and closed his eyes.

He pitied Basil, but that was all it was.

No _'true'_ love.

-**End Chapter**

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><p>Phew! I did it~<p> 


	19. The Alluring

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Nineteen: The Alluring**

~This chapter will be another that focuses mainly on the werewolves~

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><p>"So, Mammon... I know we haven't given the best first impression so far... but I'm Hayato," the silverette sighed, holding out his hand to the werewolf who was staring at him with alert eyes, having recently had the breath kissed out of him by a certain prince. "I apologize for him," Hayato apologized, glaring at the blonde who was fishing just a few yards away. "He gets really... eh... lonely, I guess."<p>

"That's all right," Mammon said eventually. "I don't mind him. All I want to do is escape."

"Escape? Yeah, that's not gonna happen," Hayato snorted. "Sorry, man, you're gonna be trapped here for a long time. The only way out is to get a mate, but they can tell if you're just acting, trust me."

_"Aw, how cute is he~?"_

_"I know, right?"_

_"Dino, call the purple one over!"_

_"All right, ladies, settle down..."_

Mammon stared at the open area down at the far end of the enclosure, cocking his ears forward to hear better, but the second he did so, the intresting conversation ended, and he heard his name called. A tamer was gesturing him over, but Mammon didn't understand. "Uh... Hayato, what do they want with me now?" he asked. "Are they going to shoot me?"

"Nah, that only happens to creatures that lose themselves," Hayato said, waving it off. "He just wants you to go over there, 'cause the observers think you're cute or somethin'."

Mammon hesitated, having little experience working with humans, but eventually stood, and took uncertain steps towards the open area, pulling down the bottoms of his thin t-shirt to protect his precious tail. "Do you... need something from me?" he asked, quivering when he glanced down at the tamer's belt. This was a man who could shoot him, whip him, and probably a lot more. He was a master, although whether Mammon would obey him or not was still up for debate.

"Here," Dino said, holding out his hand. Mammon shyly sniffed the air when he didn't see anything in the tamer's hand, but before he could be embarassed by his untamed thought process, a hand held his wrist and moved it, before placing it in Dino's palm. Mammon submitted a light blush, now having his hand being held gently by Dino, while when he turned his head, he saw that it was Bel who had shown him the custom by moving his wrist. The blonde werewolf was grinning widely at him, and somehow, in that moment, that prince almost looked... attractive.

"Kyaaa~ It's Bel!"

"I wanna pet him!"

Mammon leapt back when all the observers suddenly rushed forward, and Bel took a step backwards as well, sticking out his tongue when he was just out of reach for all of the girls. Mammon smiled at the princely werewolf, who coolly defended his pride while still making himself look like a maniac of sorts. Somehow it was just... _nice_.

"Hey, Mammon!"

The indigo-haired werewolf glanced over his shoulder, before walking over to the pond where Fran had emerged. "Hi, Fran," he said, flicking his ears in acknowledgement as he sat down on the grass. "How are you?"

"I'm doing good," Fran answered, lifting himself up onto the grass, but not taking his tail out from the water.

"You?"

"Okay, I guess," the werewolf replied. "This place is weird."

"It takes getting used to," Fran agreed.

"Hey! Freak merman, you can't mate with the cute new werewolf! He's mine!" Bel announced, tromping royally up to the two. Mammon flushed red, and looked to Fran to see how he'd react.

"I wasn't going to mate with your _'cute new werewolf,'_ and no way, man, he is going to Hayato, not you."

"I'm taken!" Hayato shouted from the other side of the enclosure. "Actually, scratch that! I'm not taking a mate!"

"See, Fran?" Bel challenged. "Mine."

Fran pulled his usual face, then laced his arms around the prince's neck, and kissed him so quickly that the prince forgot to struggle. Mammon looked for a moment, but then turned his gaze elsewhere to try and be decent. _'It's all right_,' he told himself. _'Stop shaking so much... this shouldn't irritate you... you need to focus on finding a way out... don't let your natural impulses get the best of you, Mammon...'_

"Damn it, merman, I told you, I'm not intrested!" Bel snarled, shoving Fran back and into the water. Fran hit his head on the opposite end of the pond as he fell back, and it took a lot of careful maneuvering to get him upright again. Immediately, Mammon leaned in and touched the back of the merman's head, honestly concerned for the other's wellbeing.

"You okay, Fran?" he murmured.

"Yeah... Yeah, I guess," Fran muttered, looking down. "Hey... would you come with me for a moment, Mammon?"

"Huh? Sure, but whe-ah!"

The werewolf yelped as he was jerked into the pond with Fran, and closed his eyes as he was dragged through the winding currents. After a long swim through the tunnel, and through the merpeople's tank, Fran at last surfaced with the werewolf, and, even though Mammon was soaking wet, he wasn't wounded. "All right, I just... need your help for a moment," Fran sighed. "Listen, we merpeople aren't as strong as we look...," he began. "There's actually something about us that often makes us disgusted with ourselves... and y'know Bel?"

"Yes?" Mammon said, looking around the mosaic-decorated cave in suprised awe.

"He's the one I've found beauty in," Fran said. "But, as you've seen, he doesn't care how mean he is to me... and... well... uh... to be honest, it's really wearing down on me." Fran's nervous laughter at the end of the sentence caught Mammon's attention, and he blushed.

"Are you suggesting that we...?"

"Oh- no, no, nothing like that!" Fran said. "Sorry, no, I meant, I want help building back my self-esteem, and I don't know where to turn..."

"Ah... all right, uh... well, I'm no counseler, Fran, but... huh... self-esteem... Well, what are you good at?" Mammon asked. The merman flinched. "Did I ask a bad question?" Mammon sighed.

"No... no... but... well, I... don't have a lot of talents, really," Fran sighed. "I'm not that good.. at anything... I only put other people down..."

Sensing that he'd messed up, Mammon quickly assessed his environment, nodded to himself, and said, "What about all these stone pictures all over the walls?"

"What about them?"

"Did you make them?"

"Yeah...?"

"They're beautiful, Fran, you've got to give yourself credit for that," Mammon praised. Fran thought for a moment, then blushed.

"I guess..."

"C'mon, Fran, cheer up, you're a beautiful guy," Mammon said, "well-kept, and you've got a pretty face."

"You think so?"

"Of course!" Mammon replied, smiling. It was true, so the werewolf was glad to tell it, and besides, if it meant helping Fran, he could certainly comply. After all, he just felt that they... _shared_ something.

"Thanks, Mammon," Fran said, leaning over and hugging the werewolf tightly. "If anyone other than myself were to become Bel's mate, I'd choose you..."

Somehow, Mammon was touched by that. Fran was more or less telling him that he could be Bel's mate if the princely werewolf continued to reject the merman. Somehow, that made him really happy.

_'No, calm down,' _he told himself_, 'just because you sort of have Fran's approval doesn't mean you can just go and take Bel. Besides, he'll get tired of you... just see... you don't want to lose this friendship over Bel.'_

"Y'okay, Mammon?"

"Ah, yeah, I'm fine..."

_Meanwhile_...

"Dino! Hey, don't ignore me!" Hayato protested. "I want to go see the centaurs!"

The tamer sighed, muttered something about how strange everyone was acting lately, then asked, "Why?"

"Just 'cause!" the silverette replied. "I dunno either! Just let me see 'em!"

Dino shrugged, and opened the gate.

Soon after, Hayato was having his first somewhat heart-to-heart conversation with Takeshi.

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><p><em>The next day... *vampire enclosure*<em>

"Mm... morning Basil...," Hibari sighed, rolling on to his side to look at his mate. The younger vampire looked up at Hibari, then yawned, and nuzzled into his chest.

"Morning, my Lord..."

"You hungry this morning?" Hibari asked.

"A bit..."

"Good... because I made you something."

Basil glanced up, and blinked, confused. "What?"

"This."

Hibari held out his cape, which held in it a basil plant, stained red and placed in the center of a banquet of white roses that were peppered red by its occasional drip. Basil smiled, and accepted the banquet, and the basil plant, smiling. "So thou hast finally come to thy vampiric senses. Thank you very much, Lord Hibarin. That said, Basil leaned up and kissed Hibari on the cheek, and the vampire smiled in turn.

But at the entrance to the enclosure, Mukuro clenched his fists.

"All right, Hibarin. If _that's_ how you want it."

-**End Chapter**

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><p>And there we have it. :)<p>

**Two announcements!**

1. There's a **poll** on my profile asking which pairings you want to see more of in my stories.

2. **Vote for Basil-** do you want to see him paired with- Dino, Mammon, or someone else (who won't be taking a mate in the end)? If not, would you prefer that Basil does not take a mate? Majority may or may not rule... I have the executive vote here, but if there's a lot of votes for one ending, that will certainly be taken into consideration~ XP

Please Review!


	20. The Diseased

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty: The Diseased**

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><p>Gazing out at the splendid rose garden that he and Basil had nurtured together, Hibari smiled, and left the new enclosure- intending to go to the hunting area. But just as he was about to step from the old enclosure into the aforementioned hunting area, the door was opened, and he was snatched from the cage so quickly that he could hardly protest.<p>

Hibari was dragged backwards, and blindfolded, bound by ropes that suffocated his wrists, and shoved around until he was suddenly pushed over. He landed painfully on the stone ground, but then, to his suprise, the ropes were cut, and the blindfold was lifted, revealing to him the outside of the lab. Pleasantly suprised, he looked to see where his captor had gone, but behind him, there was no one. Nor was there anyone within his line of vision. It looked as though he was being set free.

_Free_.

The moment it crossed the vampire's mind, he took off, running at full speed into the open space and looking around him with awe. Out here, there were no artificial lights, or rocks, or plants. Everything was real. He slowed, then smiled, turning and slumping against a tree, and panting quietly, overcome by the joy of being outside of that prison. He saw a rabbit, then suddenly broke into a smirk, lowering himself into the grass so that he could watch it better. The moment it strayed to close, he sprung out, snapping its spinal chord with his fangs, and drinking as he enjoyed the freshly killed animal. This was life. This was how it was all supposed to be. A place where he relied on his instincts for everything, where any and every little detail was right. This was what it felt like to be free.

Hibari began to climb up the tree, digging his fingers into the bark until he was able to go out on one of the branches, and when he did so, he sat there, watching as a baby bird broke free of its eggshell. Such a divine sight it was. Such a peaceful place it was.

_Life._

Then, a growl.

Hibari leapt from the branch, and looked about himself. That had sounded like the snarl of a werewolf, and Hibari was already thinking that he may have intruded on one's territory. He backed up from the direction of the sound, then turned, and ran full speed for some bushes nearby, when he suddenly crashed into something, and fell back. Dazed and confused, Hibari stared at what was before him, then reached out, and touched the continuation of the land. But there was no land. There was only wall. He glanced back at the bird's nest. No eggshells were falling from it, nor were baby birds crying for their mother. Where was their mother? Hibari's thoughts all shattered, and he smashed his fist into the wall, enraged, and looked about himself. What had once looked like a sky now looked like a dome of painted wall, and it wasn't long for him to find a speaker in one of the bushes. It was a setup. Hibari was not free. He had never been free. _It was all a trick._

He was alone. A fool, drawn in by the fantasy of freedom. His eyes watered when his head began to ache from the crash into the wall, and he sat down, rubbing his forehead sorely as tears began to track down his face. Hibari didn't neccarily know what the tears were, for he almost never cried. All he knew was that it was part of a bitter emotion, and that it meant he was sad. That's all that really mattered, anyway. He was sad, and he was going to destroy those who set this foul feeling on his fragile body.

"Uh... Hibarin?"

A human.

_Kill them._

In a rush of fury, Hibari leapt up and charged at the man who had walked in, and, once he had pinned the man down and was about to rip his throat out, he heard a click. The sound of a loaded gun. Below him was Lussuria, his head turned away as if he knew what Hibari's intentions were, and feared them. "Hibarin... please...," he whimpered.

Hibari considered the sound he'd heard earlier, and backed off, but the fire inside his eyes wasn't put out yet. He was filled with hatred and anger. Not a soul could calm him down. "What the hell is this?" he hissed.

"Its your new habitat," said someone else, walking into the place and Hibari frowned to see Mukuro. "You're going to hang in here now, because you're sick with something bad."

"What do you mean, something bad?" Hibari asked. "I don't want to stay in here!"

"It's bad," Mukuro repeated. "We don't have a cure for it."

"Let me out of this place!" Hibari cried, his tears returning with a vengeance. "I don't want to be in here! I want to be with Basil!"

"We can't let you out, baby," Mukuro hissed, easing down onto the ground beside him. "Luss... you're dismissed. I need to tend to my vampire."

"Y-yessir!" the tamer answered, before dashing out of the room. Hibari immediately snarled at Mukuro, yet the hunter only smiled.

"Clearly, my attempt to seduce you failed. But this doesn't matter. I've trapped you, my sweet Hibarin," he chuckled, his eyes glinting in a dangerous manner as he did so. He then reached into a pocket, and drew out a needle. "Now... this here in my hand is a virus known as Heartsickness. Have you heard of it?"

Hibari shook his head. "I haven't, and I don't know what you're up to, but if you try to pull anything, I'll kick your-"

"Heartsickness is a disease that is most common in younger vampires such as yourself. It's not a love potion... but a true sickness born of love. Specifically, of true love. This is why vampires so easily succomb to it. Now, I extracted this little bug from Mammon's father, Viper, who had had this since Mammon's mother gave birth to their son. Now, this disease isn't highly contagious, but it's _very_ dangerous. Having this disease will keep a vampire bed-ridden, sluggish, and quite ill-feeling. They can't hunt for themselves, they cough until their throat stings, and, in severe cases, they will have trouble breathing and sometimes faint. Hibarin, you are very able to take this virus into your body, and so is Basil. But injecting this into your body won't do anything." With that, Mukuro licked the needle, and pressed his lips against the vampire's, successfully transferring the Heartsickness disease into Hibari's mouth. When Hibari swallowed, it was all over. He was infected. Mukuro then backed up, and he was smirking. "This virus doesn't live inside me, because I don't _feel _true love for anyone. You on the other hand, loved me from the moment I became a host and fed you. You're sick now, Hibarin, and whether you accept it or not is still to be decided. Fufufu~."

"Why did you do that?" Hibari asked, wiping at his eyes. "Why can you do this to me so easily?"

"Kufufufu~, it's really very simple, Hibari Natsu Kyoya the second. You see, you're a very strong vampire. Basil, not so strong. Now, I managed to fool Lussuria into thinking you were sick, and now, you really are. But those stupid scientists don't know much about Heartsickness. Should they let you into the enclosure once more, you will have two options. You will either abstain from all sexual contact with Basil, or you will let him mate with you and be infected as well. Fufu~, and if that should happen, he will more than likely find his pathetic little throat blocked by swelling... and he will suffocate to death. You can't even have a single blood exchange without getting him sick. It's perfect, isn't it?"

"You're crazy!" Hibari protested. "If I never mate or exchange with him, what's he going to think? He'll be crushed!"

"Fufufu... but of course, he'd understand if you're sick, hmm, Hibarin?"

"You are jealous," Hibari spat. "I don't even know what I saw in you."

Hibari was prepared for the slap across the face that followed up his remark. "I'm _not_ jealous, Hibarin. And don't use past tense. We both know that your true love is me. Not him."

"But how does this even work?" Hibari protested. "How can you infect me with it?"

"Another darling question, Kyouya. You're right. This disease is caused by hormones and chemicals in the brain that more or less stress out so much that they cause the illness to take place. And vampires have evolved since to be able to better handle their mental stability when falling in love. But, dear Hibarin, this infection is in fact contagious. Through sexual contact, it's easy to catch this disease. Kissing, blood exchange, and any form of sex can result in it. So I acquired this virus from Mammon's father- don't look at me like that, it's not what you think- and I just gave it to you. Because you, Kyouya, can only get it by being infected. Your mind cannot create it on its own, but it can be given to you. Now do you understand?"

Hibari nodded.

"Well good. Now, I'm going to go report this to the scientists... Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _sit still,_ and _be good_ until I return."

When the door closed, Hibari was reminded of the first time he came there. The first time he was told to sit and be a good boy. Back when neither Mukuro nor Basil were his mate, when he could live life as he wanted it. But even more than that did he want freedom, and freedom could only obtained by courting and mating with Basil. Now, however... now that he was _sick!_ The complexity had doubled in moments- Hibari wasn't sure what his next move would be. From the bottom of his heart, he wanted to keep on mating with Basil so that they could be released together- and at the very least, Basil would be free, but what would freedom be should that be if he was ill? He'd only be in another prison, encased by Heartsickness, and that, to Hibari, seemed worse than any physical cage.

Plus, what if Basil should die of Heartsickness? Hibari was quite fond of the little vampire, he didn't want him to die. But all the same, what if they were to overcome that sickness and be mates out in the natural world? They could adopt an orphaned young vampire and raise him or her, frequently exchanging blood so that their body cells would be spread from their adopted child to others across the vampire society... Hibari had always wanted to know that part of him would be left behind when he died. What if he could mate with Basil and not get him sick? Wasn't that possible, too?

"All right, if you insist... but honestly, I thought that vampires had grown immune to Heartsickness," sighed Dino, walking into the room with Mukuro close behind. Dino knelt down beside Hibari, and touched his cheek. "How are you feeling, Hibarin?" he asked in a soft voice, gently caressing him.

"Well, a little awkward at the moment," Hibari replied. "What's this stupid place for, anyway?"

Dino laughed in a sort of nervous way as he withdrew his hand. "Well, you see, a long time ago, we used to hunt the offspring of vampires, because adult vampires were never tame. We had to tame the young and nurture them to adulthood. This was... well... their room."

Another thing about the humans that disgusted Hibari. To steal away the young of a couple who truly loved each other, and to _'tame_' it to be human? Ah, he could just see the horrified looks on the parents' faces as they came home to discover that their sweet little child- their link to future generations- had been lost. Vampires were scarce as it is- but now there was another major reason. If they were tamed by humans, then released back into the wild, they'd be defenseless, and would die in an instant.

Hibari would never understand it.

He would never be able to comprehend the cruelty of humans.

-**End Chapter**

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><p>Annnnd that's that!<p>

**Youtube Video Contest thing:** I'm considering doing aloud readings of this and others of my stories (because self-promoting is a bad habit) and if anyone is intrested, I'm accepting fanart to be put into the video. As of right now, any scene from chapter 1 of Captured Hearts can be submitted. Please have work finished by the end of the month, if possible. To submit, pm me a link (remember to use spaces because links are cencored), or pm me for my e-mail, and we'll see if I trust you enough. Lol.

Now... who wants to guess at what Mukuro was telling Hibari in this chapter? Anyone?

Review by one of my classmates: "Mukuro is one jealous bastardo!" -Beckett (That's her fake username!)

^^' Yeeaaah, PLEASE REVIEW!


	21. The Remembered

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty-one: The Remembered**

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><p>"All right, Hibarin, this isn't a problem," Dino sighed, walking back into the mockery-of-an-environment enclosure. "All you have to do is stay off Basil for a bit, and everything will be all right. Chrome says that they're developing antibiotics for Heartsickness... although... the supplement is for werewolves..."<p>

"Okay," Hibari sighed. "Can I at least go back to the enclosure?"

"Yeah. Come on."

As they walked out, Hibari glared menacingly at Mukuro, and the gaze was reflected as Mukuro's veneer of a smile was shown to the infected vampire. "Oh, Hibarin, before you go...," the hunter chuckled, leaning in. Hibari snarled as the Mukuro's lips brushed against his ear, but remained quiet, for the other was whispering to him, "I love you, my sweet vampire. Above anything else, know this. And remember... I cannot and will not be affected by that sickness. You can do whatever you want with me."

Suddenly, Hibari understood. It wasn't a cruel act of jealousy that Mukuro had committed. It was a desperate cry of pain of longing; Mukuro was practically begging the vampire to be his. The affection the hunter felt must've been very strong for him to take such extreme measures, too. Hibari sighed, then leaned in, and bit down softly on Mukuro's shoulder, his fangs not penetrating through the leather coat Mukuro wore. But that was all right. All he wanted was to assure Mukuro that he wasn't angry, and that he their bond still ran strong within his veins.

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><p><em>Later<em>...

When Hibari entered the observation enclosure once more, he was met with Mammon, Fran, Hayato, and Takeshi. Although slightly perplexed by the strange assortment of creatures, Hibari headed over to the group, and sat down beside the pond where Fran was. "Hey," he greeted.

"Hi," Fran and Mammon said.

"Yo," Hayato and Yamamoto returned, although the werewolf glared at the centaur as if offended to have greeted Hibarin at the same time as him.

"How did you all get in here?" Hibari asked. "Is it just something the trainers are doing?"

"Yeah, Dino let slip that the science department is sort of- kind of- maybe going to allow us to have crossbreeding," Fran said. "And I suppose we're most potent for that. Well... Mammon just slipped in with Hayato, 'cause he's my pal." To emphasize his point, Fran lifted himelf from the pond and dragged Mammon over with an arm around his waist. The werewolf smiled in turn, and petted the merman's head, although he looked slightly guilty about something.

Hayato snorted, muttering something about the stupid humans, and leaned back, resting himself against the side of Takeshi's horse body. Takeshi blushed as the werewolf lied down beside him, then reached back and rubbed the wolf ears as a response. Hibari smirked to see the intimacy between the two, then realized that he had something to confess about to this group. Sighing, the vampire folded his arms, and in a single breath, said, "Mukuro Rokudo gave me Heartsickness."

"What?" everyone said simultaneously, and all attention shifted to the vampire.

"That bastard!" Mammon cried. "I'll bet he got it from my father!"

"From your father? Wouldn't both your parents have it? I mean... if they had you...," Takeshi murmured.

"No... my father didn't feel 'true' love for my mother until I was born. A while later, he was attacked by... well... an... an infected... uhm..."

"What was it?" Hibari asked. Mammon blushed.

"It's embarassing."

"What was it?" Fran pressed.

"Uh... f...r...y"

"Spit it out, Mammon!" Gokudera said.

"A fairy!" Mammon blurted. There was a silence, before Fran started laughing wildly, pulling on the indigo-furred tail as he struggled to stay out of water. Evident offence took over Mammon's expression, and he tore his tail from Fran, humiliated. "It's not funny, Fran!" he snarled. "Heartsickness is a terrible, terrible disease! My father couldn't hunt- he could barely stand! And on top of that, he could never physically love my mother. If it weren't for that attack... I could have a brother, or a sister! And they probably wouldn't be so sad all the time! My parents... they couldn't even kiss each other."

Fran quieted, and patted Mammon's shoulder. "It's cool, Mammon. I'm sorry for laughing... but really... a werewolf... attacked by a fairy? Hehe...," he chuckled, reaching to pat his friend's ears before the other swatted him away. Crestfallen, Fran retracted his hand. "Yeah. Heartsickness. Bummer. Y'can't kiss Basil anymore, hm, Hibarin?"

"No... I can't," Hibari sighed. "And he's probably going to be devistated. He's been asleep since the incident with Mukuro..."

"Speaking of, if Fran's right, and we're in here on account of crossbreeding," Gokudera began, "Hibarin... who are you intrested in?"

Mukuro's face popped into the vampire's mind, and he blushed, ashamed of himself. "Well... actually... see, Mukuro gave me blood when I first got here... and... I guess I'm a little... attached to him for it..."

The others nodded in understanding, to Hibari's suprise, and Mammon said, "A blood bond. That'll do it. Especially one across breeds. There's a reason why so many creatures end up as hybrids, Hibarin. It all comes down to the blood. I remember one time... a werewolf-vampire cross cut my arm and drank my blood... and for the longest time, I was fighting to get out of that situation... Because I felt attached to him, and he was bonded to me. He had a really odd name, too... hm... what was it... Goro? No... hm... Koro...? Ko... Ke... mmm... Ke...nn? Yeah, Ken, I think."

"Werewolf-vampire cross?" Hibari murmured. "Dang. That's weird."

"Hibarin...," Takeshi started uncertainly. "Do you belive in centaurs that crossbreed?"

"Well... uh... you ARE a crossbreed, first of all," Hibari said, rubbing the back of his head with a small chuckle. "But if you intend to mate with Hayato, I definitely agree with y-"

"Don't even go there, snobby vampire!" Hayato interrupted, but the blush on his face proved Hibari's suspicions.

Conversation between the creatures continued for a while longer, before Dino entered the enclosure and sat down within the group. "Hey, everyone," he said. All of the captives stared at him, and the tamer sighed, before shrugging. "All right, guys, here's the thing. You're all tame, you all... or... most of you, intend to crossbreed. Some of you... actually... have letters from relatives that the Science department has been holding this month. Hayato, from your sister, Bianchi, in the Italy branch of our field..."

The silverette snatched the letter up the second it was exposed, and, looking more curious than ever, tore the letter open with his small, but functioning claws. Since all attention had now focused on the werewolf, Hayato began to read aloud, while Dino quieted.

_"Hunting season- Week 4, day three._

_Dear Hayato,_

_The Japan branch of this stupid study place better be treating you well. I miss you a lot, and think about you often. I've taken a mate named Romeo- a werewolf like myself, but his eyes are almost as lovely as yours. He's kind to me, but we often get in arguements when we go out to hunt, for the prey provided here is scarce. Your mother is doing well. Remember four years ago, when you begged your master to help her with her sickness? The therapy he gave her then seems to still be in effect now, and she is as healthy as she was twenty years ago. However, our father died last full moon. One of the other werewolves went berserk, and they got into a fight... Also... I heard that a couple creatures are going to be sent to Japan, because the Italian branch is much too full. You can expect a new member for every species- in fact, you might even get a fairy or two. Just remember your values... and never give up..._

_Your sister,_

_Bianchi."_

Hayato smiled, but just when everyone was about to make conversation about it, he saw a note scribbled on the bottom. Squinting slighty, he read it, as well.

_"P.S. Fall in love, Hayato. It's the best thing that could ever happen to you."_

The werewolf sniffled, starting to tear up, and folded the letter, wiping away the wetness that had collected, and stuffed the letter into a pants pocket. "That stupid sister of mine," he sighed. "She's got a one-track mind. Hehe..."

"Takeshi," Dino said, passing another letter out. "From your father."

The centaur rushed to open the letter, and no one seemed to notice or care how odd it was for centaurs to read and write letters. After reading another fairly touching letter from his father, Hayato and Takeshi grinned at each other, for both of their relatives had told them to find love. It seemed as though they were going to give it a shot after all.

Meanwhile, Belphegor had found his way out into the observation area, and the second he found out letters were being passed out, he bounded over to Dino and tackled him. "Anything from my brother?" he asked, his tail wagging to and fro as his wolf ears stood alert. Dino groaned, and passed an envelope to the princely werewolf, and Bel leapt off of him, then raced back into his enclosure, giggling manically as he went.

"Bel has a brother?" Mammon said.

"Yeah," Fran confirmed. "His brother's name is Rasiel... they were seperated at birth, but met one another out in the wild. Since then, they've been soulmates, but they were captured and taken away from each other not long after they met."

"Wow... I didn't know any of that," Mammon sighed, before mentally adding, _'Even though I've mated with him so many times already.'_

"Well guys, that's all I can do for you now... and it's time for you to go back into your enclosures. All but Mammon and Hayato. I'll coax Bel back in soon. It's time for the werewolves to hunt."

**-End Chapter**

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><p>All right! Just as Bianchi says,<strong> some new characters are going to be coming in<strong>- but don't worry, I won't introduce more than two in a chapter for the sake of the reviewers. XD

**Notice**: That means we might see some Lambo, Rasiel, Fuuta, Arcobaleno-creatures, Funeral-wreath-characters, It's so nice that Akira Amano gave us this huuuge selection! Hehe~ Well, it's time to request for pairings again, but please only choose from the characters I haven't introduced yet, plus Mammon, Dino, or Basil. :)

**Fanart update**: All right, I already have a wonderful drawing for the video, and that scene is Hibari drinking Mukuro's blood for the first time. Someone else is already working on Hibari bound by ropes. Other scenes to choose from (remember, only chapter one right now) are-

**1. Mukuro working the computers with Hibari just a small distance away, in a cage.**

**2. Hibari bowing to Mukuro when his full name is given.**

**3. Hibari wiping tomato juice off of his lips, blushing in embarrassment.**

**4. Hibari seeing Basil for the first time.**

**5. Basil/Hibari kissing. (With Hibari looking suprised about it, of course.)**

You can choose other specific scenes if you want, but these are kind of the main scenes for ch.1... It would be best for me to get links to the pictures or e-mails with the attachment by the end of February, but we'll see how it goes.** Pm me if you want more info or have any questions. :)**

Please Review!


	22. The Needed

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Twenty-two: The Needed**

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><p>Bel practically skipped into the hunting area, flaunting the letter in his hand as he approached Mammon. "Monta~," he sang, holding out the letter. "Jill wrote the prince a letter~!"<p>

Mammon sighed, and took the letter, reading silently to himself.

_'Bel,_

_Usheshe~ If your reading this, then it means that I've beaten you. I've got a mate, Bel! Oh, she is just the prettiest werewolf you could ever imagine~ Sheshe, I don't want to spoil much, but she's got one hell of a tail! Pretty hot, eh? You better get yourself a mate too, or I'll have to tease you for life. Usheshe~ By the way, note from the king- he wants his daughter's tiara back! Usheshe!_

_Your beloved shadow and respected royalty,_

_Rasiel.'_

"Bel, it sounds like he's making fun of you," Mammon said awkwardly. The blonde shook his head.

"Nope, we're always like this. Y'know, soon after we met, a young human prince found us and took us in. We learned everything about being royalty. But then, one day, I got lost while I was hunting. The Italian branch took me in for a bit, chewed me up, and then spat me out way over here. I haven't seen my brother since."

"That's sad...," Mammon murmured. Bel grinned widely.

"Of course, I don't need to worry aobut that anymore. I have you now, Monta."

The indigo haired werewolf blushed as Belphegor leaned in and gently bit his ear, then tried not to whimper when the princely werewolf leaned in and began to stroke his tail. The ringed hand traveled north up Mammon's body, caressing his lower back and holding him close with tender arms. "You're so pretty, Monta," Bel husked, dragging the other into the far corner of the enclosure. Mammon blushed, knowing that the blonde intended to take him again, then trembled, for he was beginning to anticipate it.

_Meanwhile_...

"So basically... thou art unable to mate with me...," Basil sighed. "Well... Can I at least get a dosage of thy delicious blood?"

Hibari shook his head. "Blood exchange. Can't."

Basil trembled. "Can thou bite me?"

"My fangs are..."

"But... Lord Hibarin," Basil murmured, quivering. "I cannot survive without thy divine sweetness! My Lord, I'm so... so attached to you!"

At the end of the sentence, the young vampire's lips parted to reveal his lustful fangs, and Hibari gulped, stepping back. "Now, Basil...," he said in a soothing voice. "Don't do anything rash... I don't want you to get Heartsickness, too..."

Basil lowered himself to the ground, panting slightly, and hissed, "Go. Please, my Lord. If it is your wish that I do not take thy blood, or that thou takes not my own, leave. My instincts art going to take over if thou dost not go..."

Hibari sighed, then began to walk away from his mate, leaving the younger vampire in a tearful heap on the ground as he left. He couldn't even imagine the pain that his mate was feeling. Since Basil was younger, Hibari knew that he was right in that age where instincts and hormones peaked. The ravenette frowned when he recalled how severe his adolescence had been. He'd bitten whatever he could bite, and soon learned what was safe to drink, and not safe. That was how all vampires got their sense of taste, really, because they were so overcome by the urge to steal the nutrients of other organisms. A pair of fangs was not much different from a reproductive organ. They often had to bite repeatedly in order to maintain calmness, and this sometimes resulted in a poor vampire satisfying itself with their own blood.

Hibari shuddered, recalling the one time he'd bitten himself, and silently hoped that Basil didn't resort to those methods as he once had. It was painful and unnatural to pierce yourself with your own fangs- plus, it only made a vampire's addiction to the pleasant feeling swell. Biting was a form of sexual contact. Blood exchange wasn't only a way to bond, it was a way to pass down your DNA through the generations, spreading yourself to other vampires and making yourself immortal. Fangs brought DNA into the host's system when the bite was made, and in turn, the biting vampire was brought the infinite luxury of taking the host's sweet genes into their mouth and making it their own. That was the dream of every vampire that ever lived- to have the entire race of vampires hold a piece of them within.

Hibari shook his head, not wanting to think any more about blood, especially because his own lust for it was growing. The vampire sighed, walking down into the old cage, and glanced up at the man who stood there. His heart skipped a beat. "Welcome, Hibari Natsu Kyoya the second," Mukuro murmured, kneeling down outside the cage and smiling eerily. "Hungry?"

His heart screamed for him not to betray Basil, and Hibari looked down. He was starving. He wanted blood, but he couldn't possibly take it. As much as it pained him, biting Mukuro would only complicate and worsen things further. He desperately wanted to sink his fangs into that delicate human flesh, but as he gazed up at Mukuro with his full, steely gray eyes, he knew it was wrong. "I... can't...," he sighed. Mukuro blinked, evidently confused, then sat down on the ground, and got out a knife.

"It looks like I'll have to tempt you, then," he chuckled, pressing the blade against his wrists. A flash of silver, and a line was drawn. Hibari watched in awe as blood seeped out, assaulting his delicate senses as he struggled to stay calm, but even closing his eyes couldn't block out the image of Mukuro and his sweet, red blood, bleeding... dripping... pooling on his wrist so _wonderfully_...

Oh, how it ached to resist. How it seared with fiery pain when his fangs were taunted like so. Hibari reopened his eyes, and trembled, then took a deep breath, inhaling the aroma of Mukuro as he weakly fought his instincts. "Mukuro...," he rasped. "Please..." Mukuro held his wrist up, and the vampire made a grab for it, but the hunter was fast, and cruelly pulled away the moment Hibari expected to catch him. Hibari wasn't spared a drop of blood as the injured hand recoiled, and he was hurt by it. "Please, Mukuro... please," he cried. "_Please_, let me have it..."

"Kufufufufu," Mukuro chuckled. "You honestly should've drank when I offered it. Now look at you! Begging for my blood."

Hibari collapsed, his knees having grown weak from the surge of arousal that he recieved from Mukuro's fragrance. "Mukuro...," he whimpered. "How can you... how can you be so cruel to me?" he whimpered. "I love you... _please_..."

"Fufu... it hurts to see you beg like this," Mukuro admitted. "But that's just how it's got to be. Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _satisfy your own needs_, or be haunted by this memory tonight."

Hibari blushed, and shamefully lifted his own wrist to his lips, before clipping an artery with his fangs and sucking hard. He wanted Mukuro's blood so badly that it was a bitter, foul taste when his own blood touched his lips, and Hibari coughed, humiliated, before reluctantly bringing his mouth and flesh together once more. He trembled as his lips wrapped around the small cut, tormenting his body beyond what he thought was possible as he continued to drink the disgusting fluid. This was what had sharpened vampires over time so that they wouldn't drink their own blood. The taste and sensation of placing one's fangs to one's own flesh was all-over appalling, and Hibari was still being assaulted by the rich smell of Mukuro's blood as his own intruding liquid poisoned his mouth. Not only was it his own blood, but Heartsick blood, and Hibari was sure that the disease had contributed to the sour aftertaste left on his tongue after suckling a wound he'd inflicted by himself to himself.

"Fufufu~ What's the matter, Hibarin?" Mukuro laughed. "You should be enjoying it..."

As much as Hibari loved Mukuro, the act he was committing now was one that vampires across the earth would shun. It was one of the most shameful things a vampire could do- especially at his age. The almost alcoholic bitterness was beginning to make Hibari's eyes water. He wanted the blood that was just out of his grasp. He'd do anything to get it, including this horrid deed. Moaning quietly, Hibari continued to drink from himself.

When Mukuro heard the moan, however, he felt that Hibari was enjoying this as much as himself. Watching the vampire nurse on his wrist, licking and sucking softly, his fangs sunk beneath the flesh as he used those beauties for what they were meant for, Mukuro could only grow more and more turned on. He lusted after Hibari with everything he had, ever since that first bite... ever since the first time those fangs had sunk into him, Mukuro found himself captivated by his own affection. "Sweetheart," Mukuro purred. "I love you." The vampire gave another lustful moan in response, and Mukuro blushed lightly as the other supposedly pleased himself. "Hibarin... _Hibarin_...," he husked, coming up closer to the cage. "_Sweet_ Hibarin," Mukuro whispered, reaching through. "That's enough..." The vampire's face grew dark with a blush as he parted from his wrist and also came up to the cage entrance, and the two carefully met lips through the bars, their hands weaving through so that they could get at each other's clothes.

Hibari was particularly rough as his hands tore at the hunter's clothes, ripping his jacket and shirt off of his body in his heat. Mukuro didn't care, however, because he was almost as into it as the vampire. Their mouths glued together with passion, the two struggled to get closer, but the cage bars still separated them.

It was then that Mukuro was suddenly yanked back, and Hibarin whimpered in protest when the one he so lusted for was dragged back. "Mukuro, you idiot!" Dino cried. "What do you think you're doing?"

Mukuro stared at the tamer who had interrupted them, and looked away in embarassment. "D-Dino...," he murmured. "I'm sorry... I couldn't hold back... you know how I feel about him..."

Dino groaned, and, noticing the vampire's deep sexual need, the tamer said, "Y'know what? Go back to Basil, and get what you want."

Hibari shook his head. He didn't want to hurt Basil.

He never wanted to hurt Basil.

_Never_.

And then, it hit him. What he had done... the grave sin he had committed. He'd lusted after another to the point of losing control, and had become aroused by the gentle lips of someone who was not Basil. Hibari had betrayed his mate. Betrayed the one who felt 'true love' for him. Overcome by his guilt, Hibari slammed a fist into the wall behind him, and snarled at the deathly sweet smell that dared to hang in the air still. More than anything did he want to take it back, to take it all back. He could already practically see Basil's weeping face when he learned- and such was inevitable, for the hunter's blood had spilt all over his clothes as they had fought for each other's bodies, and now, that corruptive scent was stuck on him. Hibari's eyes watered with Basil's impending sorrow as he realized what a huge mistake he'd done. He should've just bitten when Basil requested it. Then none of this happened.

_No one would've been hurt._

**-End Chapter**

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><p>I'm so dramatic sometimes. :3<p>

**Note to Saruko: **We did have a fair vote on who Hayato would be paired with, and I'm sorry, but Takeshi won. I, too, am a Goku-Tsuna fan, but, as we all know, I follow the unanimous choice of the reviewers. :)

Please Review~


	23. The Distant

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty-three: The Distant**

_~This chapter to introduce the Italian branch of the Science Center~_

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><p>Bianchi sighed as her mate dropped a rabbit at her side, then laced her arms around his neck, pulling him down into a kiss. Only moments into the embrace of their lips did another enter, and, this female being Bianchi's close friend, the magenta-haired werewolf gently pushed Romeo out to call out, "Lal!"<p>

The stealthier werewolf stalked up to Bianchi and Romeo, and sat down beside them. "He is the most gorgeous werewolf in the kingdom, I swear it," she sighed, leaning back. "But... we have trouble."

"What is it?" Bianchi asked, offering her friend a portion of her mate's catch. Lal Mirch turned down the meal, and rubbed her blue, white-tipped wolf ears as she collected herself.

"Along with the members from our center... the prince intends to send Rasiel to Japan."

"Ah, what a complication," Bianchi hummed. "Well, I hate to have to tell you this, Lal. There are plenty of fish in the sea, and the werewolf you have taken as your first mate is... well... royalty. I'd advise you to let that relationship fade, and look for another."

Lal Mirch's ears fell to the sides of her head, and she sighed. "How many werewolves will be leaving for Japan?"

"Well, we three are safe. I know for sure that Colonello's going."

"Pity, I kind of liked Colonello," Lal sighed, before lying down on the ground. "I'm going to sleep... night."

"Good night," Bianchi returned, glancing back at Romeo and grinning. The two ate together, and soon after, they curled up to sleep as well.

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><p><em>Meanwhile<em>...

"All right, vampires, you can go out and hunt now!" Shamal called. "And if anyone runs off, may it only be the males!"

"Now, now, Professer, if just one ran away...," Verde chuckled darkly.

The vampires raced free from their enclosure into the night, and disappeared into the shadows, all but Fon, who remained, walking slowly and enticingly as he entered the free outdoors. He was graceful and smooth, the opposite of his fellow vampire, Skull. The enclosure in which all creatures could roam was a indeed a large place, but everyone knew better than to be fooled. They all wore collars that would shock them painfully should they cross out of the invisible borders, and the hunters' metal that was embedded within those collars made them impossible to destroy.

Fon was a vampire distantly linked to the Hibari clan, and he certainly did resemble the part. This vampire had long, dark black hair that was weaved into a long braid that reached his waist, and was often dressed in robes when he wasn't fighting. As Fon glided throughout the grasses, he seeked out his closest fellow vampire, a young female named I-Pin Chi Gyoza Kempo the first. She was of Chinese decent, just as he, and she knew many of the same fighting techniques as Fon did, for I-Pin was his apprentice.

"Greetings, Master," I-Pin said as Fon approached. The other vampire adopted a martial arts pose and sighed, before bowing.

"I-Pin, I'm afraid that I've been summoned to the Japan branch. I will not see you anymore."

I-Pin paused, then bowed back to her master, her eyes sad. "That's a shame...," she sighed. "You're the nicest vampire here, Master."

"Ah, this may be so, but... I'm afraid that this is... inevitable."

"... I'm off to hunt, then," I-Pin sighed. "Good luck, Master."

The two bowed to each other, and parted ways, leaving Fon to hunt on his own once more.

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><p><em>Centaur Enclosure...<em>

"Hey, cow, get over here!" ordered Zakuro, rearing up before smashing his dark red hooves into the soil. "C'mon, wimp!"

The bull-centaur halfbreed quivered with fear, then gasped in shock and pain when another centaur smacked his side. "Go on, cow boy," Ginger cackled, his star-filled eyes twinkling with mischief. Hurt, Lambo tried to back away, when Zakuro lunged forward and grabbed him by the horns.

"Hey, weakling, why don't you man up and get yourself a mate sometime?" he laughed, yanking the bull forward. Lambo teared up as he was jerked around by the horns on his head, then stumbled back, and galloped away as fast as he could, his hooves drumming against the ground as he went.

Lambo was about fifteen years old, and all of the others were both older and stronger than him. Because of this, he was often harassed, jerked around like some sort of plaything. The scientists didn't care, either, even though they would get infuriated should other creatures get into scuffles amongst themselves. The only one who ever had any compassion for the bull-centaur was a merman named Fuuta, who was about the same age as Lambo, and often gave him comfort when no one else would. Fuuta, too, was a bit of a misfit in his enclosure, for he was kind, and often displayed a very odd fascination with ranking things. Fuuta was like his brother. Lambo glanced over his shoulder, and, seeing that the older centaurs hadn't given chase, he slowed, and lied down in the shade. He had been told that he and Fuuta were both going to be sent to the Japan branch, and he hoped desperately that the centaurs there were nicer.

_Meanwhile, in the palace..._

"I'm sorry, Rasiel, but you can't mate with her anyway. She's one of the mutts that got scrounged up by the Science Center," the prince finalized. "And since my father no longer wishes for me to house you... I'm afraid you'll be joining some of your fellows in the Japan branch." The werewolf pouted, his ears lying flat as he tried to understand, and he sighed, sitting down on the ground and curling his tail close. "Calm down, boy, you might see your brother there!" the prince coaxed, placing a hand on the werewolf's shoulder. "You'll be fine, I promise."

Rasiel stood upright, and glared at his master. "You promised," he spat.

"I promised, yes, as a boy. As a fool. I no longer have it in my power to keep you. I'm sorry," the prince repeated.

The blonde werewolf sighed, lying down and closing his eyes. He did want to see Belphegor again, but at the same time, he knew that he was going to miss his mate, Lal Mirch.

_Japan branch... 9:18 PM (Just after Hibari returned to his enclosure)_

Basil uncertainly sat up, then blinked when he saw Hibari, obviously confused. "Lord... Hibarin...?" he murmured. "Thou art covered in the blood of the hunter. Why is this?"

Hibari gulped, then sat down in front of the younger vampire, and bowed his head in shame. "I'm sorry, Basil," he apologized. "I'm so sorry."

"What happened?" Basil asked, reaching forward and brushing his hand over Hibari's cheek. Then, enlightened, Basil paused, before baring his fangs. "Heartsickness may be a limitation to thee, my Lord, but it isn't to me. I wilt get sick with thee, if this is the one way we can love one another. I shall bite thee, and thy blood shall enter my system, making me sick. But I care not. True love is not to be restrained by such a pathetic barrier. Thou and I art one and the same, Lord Hibarin. In sickness, in death, I vow to be thine..."

With that, Basil came in and sank his fangs into the other's throat, and Hibari shuddered, for the gentle pinch suddenly felt rather soothing. He assumed it was becaused his last fanged bite was on himself, and Basil's hardly-used fangs made for great acupuncture-like soothing. "Basil...," the older vampire whispered. "What if you die of Heartsickness?" Basil didn't respond, only began to suck harder, gulping down the older's blood so recklessly that Hibari silently worried that he was going to be cured of Heartsickness due to the other's excessive drinking.

"I am thy mate," Basil panted, parting for a moment. "I am thy one and only mate, and thou dost always dare to forget me for Mukuro... why? What do I need to do for thee to love me?"

Hibari sighed. "I do love you, Basil... but..."

The older vampire quieted when Basil suddenly started coughing, and his eyes widened, suprised that the Heartsickness had kicked in so quickly. But when he quickly settled, it was clear that the cough hadn't been a serious bout. "Ah, Lord Hibarin... thy taste be tainted by Heartsickness. 'Tis a high shame, but I still love thee..."

Hibari frowned, angry at himself.

Because deep down, he knew that he loved Basil, too.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>XD And here's ANOTHER chapter.<p>

**Fanart update:** The main scenes that no one seems to be currenty working on are:

1. Hibari bowing to Mukuro when his full name is given.

2. Hibari wiping tomato juice off of his lips, blushing in embarrassment.

3. Basil/Hibari kissing. (With Hibari looking suprised about it, of course.)

**Important Story Notice: **For the pairings that involve the Italy branch, there's a route that would be very easy to resolve the B26 versus Bel-Mammon issue, as well as include more touching stories. Pairings that come from this path follow: RebornxLambo, RasielxMammon, ColonelloxFon, and POSSIBLY FuutaxDino. I already have a good layout for this route, but if there are pairings that many reviewers strongly disapprove of will be taken into consideration. If you're uncertain about the ColonelloxFon, read the ficlets I wrote for them in 'Love of the Vongola, and Beyond,' chapters 1 and 2. :)

Please Review!


	24. The Rivaled

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty-four: The Rivaled**

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><p>Mammon blushed as Bel came impossibly close, then moaned quietly, for their bare chests had begun to rub together with that sweet friction that he loved. The prince smirked, then caressed his fellow werewolf's cheek, before meeting their lips together. Weakly trying to resist, Mammon whimpered as the blonde stroked his tail, then shuddered, for the other werewolf had run his cold fingers right up his spine.<p>

"You will be my mate," Bel hissed to the indigo-haired werewolf. "Fran will give up on me... it's for the best."

"Ah- but... Bel...," Mammon tried to protest. "Fran loves you... while I..."

"... Does Monta find fault with the prince?" Bel asked, and through his bangs, Mammon could see quite clearly the beautiful, pouting eyes that he often hid from the world. Mammon paused, biting his lip gently, before giving in. Bel's face was too cute.

"I love you too," he sighed. "But Fran's my friend... I don't want to hurt him..."

"Ushishi... if he were really your friend, he'd understand, ne?" Bel laughed, before becoming serious. "He should understand that crossbreeding is wrong, and that I don't like him. I don't think that you two should be friends if that's how he feels."

"Bel," Mammon started again, his ears flat. "The poor guy _loves_ you."

"I don't care," Bel snarled. "All right? I don't. For all I care, he can watch us mate."

With that, the prince shoved Mammon up to the observation gate and forced him to bend over, before easing himself against Mammon's backside, and, even though they were clothed, it sent the message. _'Mammon belongs to the prince, and the prince belongs to Mammon.'_ "How does it feel, Mammon?" Bel hissed. "I'm so close, yet so far away, ushishi..." A hand trailed up Mammon's back, before fisting his hair and pulling his head up. "I love you," the blonde snarled.

"I love you too, Bel...," Mammon whined, blushing, not because of Bel, but because Dino and several observers were seeing this happen.

"That's right," Bel laughed as he roughly turned the other around and kissed him, making Mammon quiver with confused pleasure. Then, Bel began to get at the other werewolf's pants, and Dino blushed, knowing what was going to happen between the two.

"Uh- well, clearly, it's time to close the observation area!" Dino said, before dropping the gate closed, leaving the werewolves to do as they pleased.

_SPLASH_.

Bel waited with a mischievous grin on his face as Fran stormed over, then yelped when the merman grabbed him by the tail and yanked him back, having gotten out of the water completely. "Fran!" Bel yelped. "What the hell are you doing?" The prince barked. Fran turned and kissed him, his body finding every way to embed itself within Bel's. The prince snarled with anger and tossed the merman off of him, making Fran land painfully on the ground as the blonde scrambled up to his feet. Fran lied on the ground, his back to Bel, and he reached up, then cradled his forehead as he hummed quietly to himself. A sweet melody left his lips, making all three werewolves in the area perk up and try to listen in. "What's he doing?" Bel asked.

"Merpeople song," Mammon breathed. "Fran must be able to sing... or hum... without being beneath the water."

"Shh... it's okay, Fran...," the merman whispered quietly to himself, reaching up and massaging his shoulder as he continued to hum. "He doesn't mean to hurt you... he doesn't mean it..."

The merman curled up on the ground, and ran his fingers over his legs, breathing softly as he lied there. "Bel...," Mammon murmured. "I've heard of this. It's not good."

"Nn?"

"My parents used to hunt merpeople every so often," Mammon began, "and they taught me that when their self-esteem is ruined, they'll go into a state of self-soothing, usually using the same words their parents would've said. Merpeople song isn't the sound of happiness, Bel, it's the sound of a broken soul."

The blonde werewolf paused, then, noticing how intently he'd been listening to Fran, he shook his head, and dragged Mammon to the far side of the enclosure. "That doesn't matter for me," he muttered. "What matters is that Fran knows that I don't want to crossbreed with him."

Meanwhile, Fran remained curled up on the ground, 'self-soothing,' until the werewolves had gone inside, and the vampires soon came out. Hibari and Basil were talking to each other in lighthearted voices, when suddenly, Hibari noticed Fran, and rushed over. "Fran, are you all right?" he said, picking the merman up. Fran's eyes were as dead as ever as he mumbled something that the ravenette couldn't distinguish, and Hibari carried the merman over to the pond, then dipped his feet into the water so that Fran would be more comfortable. With the doll-like Fran sitting on the edge of the pond, Hibari murmured, "Fran, it's okay. I don't know what made you like this, but you don't need to worry. I'm your friend... you can talk to me."

Basil stepped forward as well, and said, "And since thou art Lord Hibarin's friend, thou art my friend as well. Speak, Fran. For thee, comfort is all I have to give."

"I'm not good enough," Fran rasped. The vampires took a moment of trying to figure just what Fran wasn't good enough for, but Fran soon spoke again, as if to clear it up. "I'm not good enough to be Bel's mate. I'm not a werewolf... I'm not Mammon..."

Hibari sighed, and touched the merman's cheek, before saying, "Fran, you're a beautiful merman. You don't have to be a werewolf. You're better than 'good enough' as it is! Bel needs to see the real you, buried under all that infatuation. You have to be patient... okay, Fran?"

The merman nodded absently, then wiped at his eyes, humming a little more as he submerged beneath the water. "That poor merman," Basil murmured. "Belphegor art much too hard on him."

"Yeah," Hibari agreed. "He sure has it rough."

The vampire glanced back at Basil after he had said the word, and he blushed. He was so glad that he wasn't like Belphegor.

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><p><em>Later<em>...

"All right, how many creatures are coming from Italy?" Dino asked as he looked uncertainly at his boss. Reborn snorted.

"Too many," he said. "Two vampires, two werewolves, a merman, and some weird centaur halfbreed."

"Well, that's actually pretty good, right?" Dino said. "It'll balance out the merpeople and the centaurs..."

"We're having trouble feeding all these animals," Reborn explained. "We're going to have to keep the observation area open for longer periods of time." Dino paused, suprised.  
>"But Reborn," he tried to reason. "They need privacy! These creatures are already quite angry with the observers!"<p>

"They'll have to groom each other, exchange blood or whatever in there own enclosures, all right?" Reborn said. "This is for the good of this entire operation."

Spanner leaned back in his chair, pausing his research to input into the conversation, "If we increased observation time by a half-hour, we'd get twenty percent more profit."

"See? That's just enough to cover the feeding while giving us a little extra," Reborn said. "Dino, do you have a family?"

Dino paused, about to say no, when he decided that he'd take a leap of faith, and he said, "Yes, sir, these creatures are my family."

Reborn arched a brow, then shook his head. "Get back to work," he murmured. "The Italian branch is going to arrive in Japan tomorrow evening, and they will be here two days from today. And Shoichi, Spanner, finish up the new werewolf enclosure- they're practically sleeping on each other."

The scientists nodded, and Dino sighed, walking out of the enclosure. When he got out, though, he heard a faint song, and took a moment to listen, before seeking out the origin. What he came up to was the merpeople's tank, where he had left the last group of observers to feed the merpeople, and Fran, his back to the watching people as he sang quietly. Not knowing this state of merpeople, Dino grinned, and called out, "That's a beautiful song, Fran!"

The merman stopped singing for a moment, then pushed himself off of the rock, not sparing the tamer a glance as he submerged. Confused, Dino wondered just what Fran was moping about, when he recalled how Bel and Mammon had been earlier. The tamer heaved a sigh, and ushered the observers away from the merpeople enclosure, wondering to himself if Fran would be all right.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>And there we have it~ Jeez, I dunno what happened, I just am on a role with this stroy lately. I'm almost halfway to 100,000 words! :D<p>

Italy branch to arrive in the next chapter~

Please Review!


	25. The Familiar

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty-four: The Familiar**

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><p><em>The next day...<em>

"C'mon, Lambo, pull harder! They're gonna leave us behind!" Fuuta protested, struggling to stay stable in his water tank. The bull-centaur cross groaned, straining his muscles as he tried to catch up to the band of beings that walked solemnely ahead of them.

"They don't care about us!" he cried. "The tamers wouldn't hesitate to leave us behind, either!"

Suddenly, one of the vampires ahead paused, and walked towards the small wagon that Lambo was hitched up to. "Need a hand?" he offered. Lambo looked up into the soothing black eyes and sighed in relief, nodding, and the vampire chuckled, before getting behind the wagon and helping to push them forwards. "You two are mere children," he noted. "I do wonder why they treat you so carelessly..."

"It's 'cause we're weak," Fuuta sighed. "I can't last more than ten minutes out of water, and my friend Lambo is... well... not very strong, either."

"Just wait until my horns grow out, Fuuta!" Lambo protested, still struggling to push himself forward in the grasses. "Then I'll be really awesome!"

The vampire chuckled and continued to gently help the wagon along, while introducing himself as Fon. "You two are fragile," he said after a sigh. "We from the Italian branch must stay together."

The three quickly caught back up to the rest of the crew. In the lead was the tamer Verde, the princely werewolf Rasiel right behind him. The werewolf Colonello, and the vampire Skull were also part of the small group, and together, they made up the creatures that were moving from Italy to Japan. "So, Fon...," Lambo began uncertainly. "You seem awfully calm for a vampire..."

"Ah, do I, really? Well, the Clan I come from is very well-disciplined... not that I was a member of it for long. I'm distantly related to a Clan known as the Hibaris, and they are very, very well-tamed vampires. Although... I hear that they were hunted to extinction for their precious fangs." Fon reached up and touched his single true fang, his eyes involuntarily watering. "One of my fangs are false, because I, too, was seen as a Hibari, and shot. They only had time to take one of my fangs when they caught me, because a hoarde of vampires swept in the second they discovered what was happening to me. A kind old vampire I only know as Uncle Kawahira built me the fake one... I presume that my handicap is another reason as to why I'm so calm..."

"Wow, they stole one of your fangs?" Fuuta commented, leaning up over the edge of the tank, his sandy blonde tail swaying as he tried to get a closer look. "Didn't it hurt?"

"I was unconcious when they took it, so I couldn't say," Fon replied. "It was difficult to know that I'd never be able to bite the same way, but it's okay... because at least I have the one. I have heard rumors that my fang might grow back, but that'll take a few hundred years yet..."

"Humans sure are scary," Lambo said, brushing his hands over his horns to make it clear that he was nervous about losing one of them.

Suddenly, one of the werewolves fell back in the group and took the other end of the wagon, shooting a smile at Fon. "Hey, you," he greeted. "Want some help with this, dammit?"

"It would be greatly appreciated," Fon said. "And you are?"

"Colonello. Served in the army for ten years of my life, dammit."

"Haha, an army wolf, huh?" Fon returned, smiling. "That sounds like quite the intresting situation... My name's Fon, and these two are Fuuta, and Lambo."

The four chatted for a while, before the group stopped moving, and Rasiel announced, "All right, everyone! This is where we're camping! Werewolves take that tent, vampires in that tent, merman, stay in your tank, and centaur... thing... you can sleep out here tonight!"

Lambo stiffened to find out that he was supposed to sleep outside, and he sighed, for then he had realized that Fuuta and he were going to stay harnessed together for the entire night. Meanwhile Fon headed towards the vampires' tent, sending a pitiful glance back at the two, and Colonello reluctantly stalked back to the werewolves' tent.

As Fon entered the small tent, he nodded his head and gave Skull a quiet 'pardon me' as he entered. The other vampire nodded, sitting upright, and muttered, "I hate this. I don't wanna go to another camp."

"Ease yourself, Skull," Fon sighed, lying down on the ground. "So long as we bear these collars, we are not free. Remember this."

The Chinese vampire couldn't tear his eyes from Skull's excessive piercings as the other vampire growled in resentment, saying, "Humans are disgusting."

Once more, Fon's hand brushed over his false fang, and he nodded sadly. "Yes, Skull. But this is the natural order as we know it... with humans at the top of the food chain."

Meanwhile, Colonello and Rasiel were getting to know each other in their tent. "So, you're royalty, right?" Colonello said, his legs crossed as he watched the blonde werewolf who was absently combing through his hair.

"I sure am, usheshe~," Rasiel chuckled, his thick, blonde tail wagging with glee when he thought of the prince back in Italy. "I was the prince's prince! Shesheshe!"

"You've got one weird laugh, dammit," Colonello laughed. "I hear you've got a buddy in the Japan branch, Rasiel."

"Yeah, my brother, Belphegor. I haven't seen him for a number of full moons, but I know that he's alive. I'd be able to tell if he wasn't. You're an 'army werewolf,' right?"

"Sure am, dammit. Served for ten years before I was tamed. I have great aim, too. Ask me anytime, and I'll shoot an apple off your head, dammit," Colonello answered. Rasiel grinned awkwardly.

"No thanks... I'll pass on that."

Outside, Fuuta and Lambo were both shivering with cold. "M-man, this sucks," Lambo shuddered, hugging himself tightly as his pelt quivered. Fuuta sighed, trying to warm himself in the waters that quickly lost their heat.

"Don't worry, Lambo," he murmured. "We're all right... we're gonna tough it out... together."

Lambo nodded shakily. "I'll try, Fuuta..."

_Morning the next day..._

Colonello and Fon each took a side of Lambo and helped him forward, for his limbs were numb and stiff from the cold. Just ahead of them, Skull and Rasiel absently talked to one another, while Verde kept his sharp gaze firmly on the path. The group was nearing a massive cave that had a ceiling replaced by thick glass, and a large, stone door soon stood before them- the entrance into the prison.

"Finally," Verde sighed, walking up to the door. "Rasiel, keep your fellows in line as I talk to their... tamer."

Verde unlocked the stone door with a key that looked oddly bony, then called inside, "I have the new arrivals here!"

Immediately, three tamers rushed out, and the creatures watched, stunned, to see the almost friendly faces. One man had a shaved head with a green bang, and he approached Fuuta and Lambo immediately, cooing, "Oh, you poor things, let mama Luss take you inside."

Lambo and Fuuta were helped along inside by Lussuria, and the rest of the creatures awaited their lead inside as the two youngest creatures disappeared into the prison. A blonde tamer named Dino smiled and took both of the werewolves by the shoulders, and the left over, creepy looking man with mismatched eyes smiled at the vampires. "All right, you two," he chuckled. "In you go..."

The man bowed to Verde, and they exchanged pleasantries, before Fon and Skull, too, were led inside. Fon winced to see how restricted the space was inside, and many people were crowding them, humans who gazed at them curiously as they walked through. As Mukuro led them into a cage, a gate to a larger enclosure was lifted, and the two glanced over their shoulders at him, before proceeding. Fon stepped inside, to see two fellow vampires tending to a luscious, bright rose garden, and he immediately went over to greet them. Meanwhile, Skull, feeling out of place, went to take a long nap under the tree that had just broken ten feet tall.

"Why hello there," Fon greeted a young vampire with tan hair, "we're the transfers from the Italian branch- how do you do?"

"I art quite well, thank... you...," the young vampire said, his eyes growing large as he saw Fon. "Wow, my Lord, thy looks be just the same as my mate, Hibarin!"

Hearing his name, the other vampire stood upright, and when his eyes met Fon's, they realized something. Fon reached out, and touched Hibari's cheek, then smiled softly. "Greetings, _Hibari Natsu Kyoya the second_. It has been long."

"Too long," Hibari replied. "How have you been, _Feng Natsu Fon the second?"_ Fon paused, then chuckled, and the two enjoyed a small moment to laugh with their happiness.

They were cousins.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Haha. So much for introducin' them slowly! XD<p>

**Notice to Saruko**- No, I am not ignoring you, I told you, we had a fair vote on who Gokudera would be paired up with. I'm sorry, but Takeshi won over Tsuna. Majority ruled on that vote, and it was fair, so there's not much complaining to be done there.

Please Review!


	26. The Collaborating

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty-six: The Collaborating**

_~This chapter to show the introductions of the other new characters into their enclosures_

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><p><em>Centaur Enclosure...<em>

"Come now, Lambo dear, don't be shy," Lussuria said, coaxing the bull-centaur into the enclosure. Lambo nervously stepped inside, and looked up at the four centaurs that watched him enter. There was a friendly looking centaur with an ebony pelt and chocolate eyes who beamed at him as he entered, a silver-coated centaur with a toned body who was shuffling in place as if antsy to get running again, an appaloosa-pelted centaur with long, wavy teal hair who warily gazed at the incoming halfbreed, and then, there was him.

Lambo gaped in suprise to see the magestic, white-coated centaur that sported shining white wings, his hooves glossy black, and his eyes a stony amethyst. 'A halfbreed,' Lambo noted, 'just like me.' But this hybrid was not to be marveled at. As soon as the gate was closed behind him, the white, winged centaur galloped forward and slid to a stop in front of the young bull, sizing him up with those cold eyes.

"What's your name?" he asked, beating his wings in a challenging way. Lambo trembled, feeling a spike of awed fear course through his body.  
>"Lambo," he murmured.<p>

"A halfbreed, correct?" the pegasus said.

"Yes... a bull and a centaur, sir."

The other snorted, then held out his hand. "I'm Byakuran. Now... come."

Lambo took the hand, and quivered once more when he felt how perfect the skin was. The pure trait of a pegasus must've affected everything about him, making his being perfect- almost angelic. As they walked together, a hand brushed over Lambo's cow-patterned back, and the younger hybrid tensed for a moment, suprised by the move. "It's odd," Byakuran said. "Your body is formed like a horse, yet your tail is bovine, and you have horns, as well as a cow print pelt. It's actually a little cute." The younger halfbreed smiled, and leaned into Byakuran's body, which resulted in the older backing away slightly. "Don't come close to my wings," he murmured. Lambo nodded, and the two lied down under a tree. "Tell me about your parents," Byakuran requested Just as Lambo was about to speak, he heard a loud cry of "LAMBO!" ring throughout the cave. He immediately scrambled up on to his hooves, and cantered to the fence, and, looking over the ledge where the merpeople's tank could be seen below. Down there, he saw his friend- more like little brother- Fuuta, calling to him from inside the water. "Lambo!" the merman called. "Are you okay? Are the centaurs nice?"

"I'm fine!" Lambo returned. "What about the merpeople?"

"They're okay!" Fuuta said.

Lambo took a moment, then said, "I'm gonna go back to them!"

"All right!"

The hybrid turned, and was faced with Byakuran, who suddenly looked quite serious. "Are you planning to crossbreed with a merman?" he asked.

"What? No! Fuuta's my friend! Just my friend!" Lambo said, blushing. The albino reared up, and was about to slam his hooves into the other in a fit of rage when the friendly ebony-coated centaur swept in and took Lambo out of Byakuran's range.

"Easy, Byakuran, he's just a kid!" the centaur said, his dark tail sweeping back and forth with slight amusement when Byakuran's forehooves took to the ground. "Sorry about that, Lambo," the ebony-pelted centaur said. "Name's Takeshi. Y'better hang around me if you want to be safe from that guy. Haha~."

Lambo nodded, and leaned against the other centaur. He hoped desperately that this wasn't going to end up like it did in Italy.

_Merpeople Enclosure..._

"Fuuta, huh?" Bluebell murmured. "Hm. Well, you're cute, I'll give you that."

The young merman gave a light blush, for this girl reminded him of the nice mermaids back in Italy, Kyoko and Haru. But just as he was about to mention it, he heard a distant humming noise, and glanced back at the teal-haired merman just a few yards away, who was sitting in a dip in a rock, the occasional bubble floating from his lips to the surface. "Who's that?" he asked.

"That? That's just Fran. Don't mind him; he's upset because the werewolf he loves doesn't believe in crossbreeding."

Fuuta paused, then started to swim over to the merman, and listened. He recognized the tune Fran was humming- his mother used to sing it to him before he went to sleep. It was a lullaby for merpeople, and to hear any merman that wasn't a parent and was in his twenties was an odd sight. Fuuta thought, trying to think of something tactful, before murmuring, "Raining Tears and Scales... that's the number one lullaby that merpeople parents use with their young. It's also number two out of six thousand songs that merpeople sing the most often when they're sad."

Fran paused, then looked over his shoulder. "Tell me..," he whispered, "what does it take to get someone to love you? What do you need? Looks, skills, what? What do I need to do?"

Fuuta was too young to give an accurate answer, but, being the kind merman he was, he placed his hand on Fran's shoulder, and said, "Just be yourself. Don't hide behind masks of toughness. Show your true potential as a man, that's what people like." The other merman turned, then, his eyes suddenly, brightened up, and he pressed himself up against the glass.

"What...? Who's that...?" he gasped, looking out at a blonde werewolf who was arguing with Dino about something. Fuuta glanced out of the tank.

"That's Rasiel, from Italy. He's Belphegor's brother."

Fran blushed, then suddenly turned, and darted into a tunnel, leaving Fuuta with a confused look on his face. "Well... I guess that's that," he mumbled.

_Werewolf Enclosure..._

Bel grinned, at last tackling the other werewolf down, and laughing as they tumbled down together. Rasiel chuckled in turn, flipping their positions until they were rolling about over the ground, tails twining together as they became familiar with one another's scent. Eventually, they slowed into a heap of amusement, and Bel breathed, "I missed you, Jill."

"Missed you too, Bel," the other said with a grin. "I admit, royalty hardly amounts to the joy of having someone to share everything with..."

"Yeah..."

The two princes sat up, and gazed into each other's eyes, their ears straight forward. "Uh... Bel...," Mammon said, leaning over to the younger twin. "Fran's here..."

"Well, look at that," Rasiel said, springing up. "This couldn't possibly be your mate, eh, Bel?"

"Sure is," the other prince laughed. "Isn't he gorgeous?"

"Yeah, yeah, he is," Rasiel murmured, before noticing the merman who was at the pond. "Who's... that?" he said, grinning.

"That's Fran," Bel sighed. "Don't mind him. He's got a crush on me, but y'know, he's a merman."

The older twin stalked over to the pond, and knelt down beside it. "Fran, right?" he said. "I know how you feel."

Fran blushed, then reached up, and grabbed the werewolf by the wrists, before pulling him into the water. Bel lunged after the two in a futile attempt to catch them, but they vanished within the water before he had a chance to protest. Rasiel was dragged through the water and into a cave, and he was set up onto a stone, where he could get a much better look at Fran. The merman had pretty teal hair and eyes, and something about his face reminded Rasiel of his old mate, Lal Mirch. The merman's arms were folded over the werewolf's knees, his head resting in those arms as he looked up at the prince with those big, sad eyes. "You're Bel's brother?" he whispered.

"I am," the other answered. Fran pulled himself up, but his fish tail was too weak to make him climb up into Rasiel's lap. Fran then leaned over to one side of the cage, and brushed his hand over a mosaic in the wall that looked remarkably like Rasiel- or his brother, at least.

"Mammon was my friend," he murmured. "And he mated with Bel... when I thought I might be able to get him... How can you relate to me?"

"Because I was torn away from my mate only a few days ago," Rasiel said, looking down. "Look, kid. You're cute. Beautiful, in fact. But I can't help you. Werewolves are monogamous, you see..."

"Don't give me that crap," Fran hissed, "Bel's jumped from Hayato to Mammon in less than a day."

Rasiel paused, then grinned widely. "Well, if we truly love them, that is... and I guarantee you, I loved Lal."

Fran frowned, then sank back into the water. "Will anyone ever love me?" he murmured. Rasiel sighed, and stroked through the merman's hair.

"I told you, kid, you're beautiful. Tell you what... I've got a plan for ya. Bel knows you're hot. He just doesn't want to admit it. So what we need to do is make him jealous. What do you say, Fran? Partners?"

Overcome by his desire for Bel, Fran reached out his hand, and shook it with Rasiel's.

"Partners."

**-End Chapter**

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><p>XD 4-day weekend for me, so I guess the ideas are just flowing~<p>

Don't think that this means you can slack, though!

Keep reviewing, and remember, you can pm me if you have any questions about the fanart for that video. ;)

Please Review!


	27. The Acquainted

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty-seven: The Acquainted**

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><p>Fon smiled at his younger cousin, licking his lips as the other's blood dripped from his palm onto the dirt. "Good, good," he praised, "Now, take some water from the canal, and pour it over the dirt. This will help carry the blood down where the roots can absorb it. Or, even better..."<p>

The Chinese vampire cupped his hands, and scooped up water from the canal, before pouring it over the vampire's wounded palm. Hibari winced as the water carried even more of his blood into the dirt, and glanced back at his cousin, muttering, "That _hurts_..."

"Sorry, Hibarin," Fon laughed quietly. "I'm just trying to help."

To repay an old favor, Hibari was trying to learn the most effective way of making a bloody rose. And since Fon was trained in both martial and craft arts, Hibari had decided to seek out his help. Meanwhile, Basil was being taught courage by Skull. "Now, let's say I'm a sexy, manly vampire who wants to take Hibarin away from you! What do you do?" Skull challenged. Basil lunged at him.

"I wilt kill thee," he hissed, his fangs brushing against the other's throat. Skull shuddered, then backed off, the tips of Basil's fangs not penetrating him as he did so.

"That's right," he praised. "See, this stupid place has dulled up your natural instincts. You need to protect your mate with everything you have. Go straight for the jugular, and tear their throat from their body." Basil nodded shakily, his fists clenching as he imagined Mukuro taking Hibari away from him. He feared that above anything else in the world. He loved Hibari more than everything, and he would give whatever neccessary to be with him. He would shed his own blood and the blood of others to protect his mate, and he was proud to think that Mukuro couldn't say the same. "Now tell me, Basil," Skull said, sitting beneath the tree. Basil joined him, and Skull continued, "What does it feel like to experience true love?"

"It's almost like selling your soul away," the young vampire said. "Except... it's _so_ much better. Especially when it's mutual."

Suddenly, the two vampires heard a cry of "Hibarin!" from the rose garden, and they both turned to see that Hibari had passed out, Fon leaning over him, clearly worried. Basil scrambled to his feet and ran over to them, then lifted his mate into a sitting position.

"My Lord! Art thou all right?" he said, tilting the other's head towards him.

"A fainted vampire indicates a lack of blood," Fon said. "I must've allowed him to spill too much... Don't worry, sir Basil, you are fragile. I'll handle this."

Fon bit his own wrist, and, wincing, sucked his own blood into his mouth, before kissing his cousin, successfully transferring the blood into his mouth. He did this several times, Basil watching with worry, until Hibari's eyes slowly opened. "Thanks," he grunted to Fon, before suddenly realizing something and covering his mouth. "Hey... Fon... do you have a true love?"

The Chinese vampire arched a brow, then chuckled, blushing lightly. "Yes, but not in this particular enclosure... Why do you ask?"

Suddenly, Basil understood Hibari's concern. "Oh, no," he gasped, covering his mouth. Hibari placed a hand on his shoulder.

"Er, nothing," Hibari said, placing his other hand on his cousin's head. "It's all right, I was just wondering."

Fon shrugged, then said, "Maybe we should stop practicing the bloody rose for now..."

"Vampires! Time to hunt!" called a tamer from down the tunnel. Hibari got up to his feet, rubbed his sore throat, then started to lead the new vampires out into the hunting enclosure. As they stepped into the small hunting grounds, however, Fon and Skull were both evidently disappointed.

"Something wrong?" Hibari asked his cousin. Fon sighed.

"Well... Back in Italy, we could roam free to hunt... And we only hunted at night. We'd be out in a forest, catching _real_ prey. Granted, there would be a limit to how far we could go, but still..."

"Fon!"

The Chinese vampire looked up as a werewolf sprang out from behind the shadows, and smiled to see one of the Italy creatures. "Why, hello, Colonello," he greeted, walking over to the werewolf. Colonello chuckled, his ears flicking as he nuzzled into Fon's shoulder.

"You have a really good scent, dammit," he laughed, and Fon joined in, gently rubbing the werewolf's back. Hibari watched, and easily saw that Fon's 'true love' was Colonello.

"Colonello, get back to your enclosure!" Dino called from the observation area. Colonello paused, then grinned at Fon.

"Hey, I'll catch you later, dammit."

As Colonello left, Fon glanced over at the open bars, confused, then walked up to them. "What...?"

"Oh, is this one of the Italy newcomers?" asked a woman to Dino, who nodded.

"Yes. This is Fon, I believe," the tamer said, holding out his hand. "Welcome to our Science Center."

Fon blinked, then, being quite familiar with human customs, took Dino's hand, and shook it, sighing, "This is much different from Italy, sir. What are you doing, exactly?"

"Well," Dino started, withdrawing his hand. "It's a rare sight to witness a vampire hunting, so many people visit to observe them. I'll close the observation area in... uh... like, an hour or so."

_"What?"_ Hibari snarled, coming up the gate. "That only leaves us a half-hour to hunt privately! What gives?"

"Well, since we've got so many new guys here, it's getting really expensive to feed all of you...," Dino said. Hibari hissed, and grabbed the tamer's collar, yanking him up to the bars of the cage.

"Yeah, because fish and grass are _really_ expensive," he snarled. "Dino, if I didn't have the knowledge that you weren't in charge, my fangs would clip your throat and kill you."

With that, Hibari shoved the tamer back, and strutted back to his mate, still angry with Dino. Fon sighed, shrugging, and followed suit, going to tell Skull the news.

_Meanwhile_...

"All right, boys, here's the new enclosure," Mukuro said, opening a gate in the werewolf cage. Colonello, Rasiel, Mammon, Bel and Hayato all began to file through the tunnel, but Mukuro stopped Mammon as the indigo-haired werewolf began to leave. "Uh, Mammon... I wanted to apologize for everything... Hibarin told me to give you this."

Mammon accepted the cloak that was handed to him, then shyly sniffed it to prove his suspiscions. It was indeed the cloak that had been taken from him when he was captured. "Oh, thank you," he said to the hunter, "thank you so much. I forgive you."

Mukuro shrugged, and chuckled. "Well, I can't turn down a request from Hibarin."

Mammon nodded, putting on his cloak, then, his tail wagging with joy, he went down the tunnel once more. Mukuro smiled as he left, then headed out to feed the merpeople. As he walked up, he saw Fuuta and Bluebell talking together, and he chuckled, calling out Fran. To his suprise, the teal-haired merman didn't seem to be in the tank at the moment.

Actually, Fran was in the werewolf enclosure. The new cage was formed like a cave, with seperate rock beds for each of the werewolves, and blankets for each of those beds. Each of the werewolves had already made claims, and the canal of water in enclosure had just been discovered. Rasiel and Fran were talking in the corner, and on the opposite side of the cave, Bel was trying to talk to Mammon, but he was obviously disturbed to see his twin brother talking to the merman who had a crush on him.

"Jill," Fran whispered, "this isn't good enough; I think we need to kick it up a notch, if you know what I mean."

"I hear you, Fran," Rasiel replied, carefully picking Fran up out of the water. As Fran's tail split into human legs, the werewolf leaned down and kissed him, and Fran, seeing Bel more than he saw Rasiel, moaned and sat upright. Meanwhile, Rasiel closed his eyes and envisioned Lal Mirch as he took in the merman's soft, wet lips. The two enjoyed the moment, until Rasiel suddenly saw a different face in his mind, a face that he never would've expected to emerge from his subconcious. The face of _Mammon._

The two parted for a moment, and Jill held up Fran's chin, his ears forward as he heard the quiet panting. "All that water sure does wonders to your skin... it's so smooth..."

"It's about time someone noticed," Fran said with a small smirk. "You're ears are softer than they look, too, Jill..."

"Naturally... it's because I'm royal," Rasiel laughed, his hands running up and down the merman's smooth backside. "C'mon, I think it's working," he said in a quieter voice. Fran nodded, and they kissed again, and, on the other side of the enclosure, Bel snorted and dragged his mate into a kiss as well.

Meanwhile, Colonello and Hayato were acquainting themselves with each other. They'd already aquired each other's scent by sniffing each other's necks, where the scent was most pure, and by doing so, they were already on the path to friendship. "So you're sweet on that vampire, right?" Hayato said. "Fon?"

"Heh. Just a little. What about you, Hayato? The rest of the werewolves seem to be taken, dammit," Colonello replied.

"Well... I'm not positive about the relationship status quite yet, but I'm particularly close to one of the centaurs. His name's Takeshi," Hayato replied.

"Ooh, a centaur, eh?" Colonello laughed. "Like that big ol' _horse_ body, do ya, dammit?"

"Wha- no!" the silverette complained. "I like the personality, not the... well..."

"Haha! It's okay, Hayato," the army werewolf said. "Mark me, there isn't a creature around who hasn't had a single fantasy about a centaur. They're tough, lean, and they can be pretty graceful, too, dammit."

Hayato blushed, then shrugged it off, and changed the subject.

Already, he was enjoying the new company.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Well, I think that'll be just about it for now... I should work on some of the other fanfics for a while. XD<p>

Since it seems to be a popular idea, I'll work on getting in that jealous Xanxus, as well as the RebornxLambo soon.

Please Review!


	28. The Caring

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty-eight: The Caring**

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><p><em>The next day...<em>

Dino walked into the vampire enclosure, holding in his hand the bracelets that Shoichi and Spanner had recently developed. They were crafted of vampire-hunting metals, and had each of the vampires' names engraved on them, as well as a phone number should any of the vampires escape. Now Dino didn't at all want for this to happen to the creatures that he'd befriended, especially because they had been promised freedom should they take a mate. But Reborn said otherwise. According to him, releasing Heartsick vampires and those who have been in contact with the disease would bring a downfall to vampire society. Dino could see his boss's point in that, but he still thought it was very wrong to taunt and betray dignified vampires in such a way.

"Hibarin!" he called as he entered. "Basil! Fon, Skull!"

The vampires approached Dino, and the tamer took Hibari's wrist, before clipping the bracelet onto it. He did the same to the others, biting his lip as he at last got on Skull's. "What's this for, tamer?" Fon asked. Dino paused, then reached forward, and patted Fon on the head.

"These are dark times for your kind," he said, sighing. "All I can say is that you're going to be here longer than I hoped. I wish I could help you guys out... but... I've got to take care of myself, too."

Hibari observed the watch closely, then muttered, "Hibari Natsu Kyoya II. If found, please return to the Science Center for Supernatural Beings in Namimori, Japan. For more information, contact 555-6984. ... These are... like dog tags for the wrist."

"Dog tags...?" Skull repeated, before blushing. _"DOG TAGS?"_

"No, calm down," Dino said. "It wasn't my idea. Since... since you two are Heartsick," he explained, indicating to Hibari, "we may be unable to release you two into the wild."

Fon suddenly gasped, and covered his mouth. "Hibarin has Heartsickness?" he repeated, his voice small. "Oh dear... oh dear..." With that, the Chinese vampire retreated into the far corner of the enclosure, and Hibari watched at him, his eyes pitying his cousin.

"He's got it," he whispered to Basil, who nodded in agreement.

"That poor soul," the young vampire rasped.

"Did you get him Heartsick, too?" Dino asked. Hibari looked down.

"I fainted from the sickness," the ravanette explained. "He thought that I had passed out from bloodloss... and he gave me blood to make me come to." The tamer sighed, then sat down on the ground- a very risky move when faced with a group of vampires. Leaning against the rocks around the entrance, he buried his face in his hands.

"I wish I could help you," he whispered. "I wish I could show you all some way to get around your instincts. I've always wanted to see a vampire win an arguement with a human. I've always wanted to see a world where we could all live in harmony... God, _I hate this..."_ The tamer clutched his forehead as he finished, and trembled, his head aching as his pity took over. "Not just you, either... the werewolves, the centaurs... and the merpeople, too... But I can't do anything if you just... _can't_ control yourselves!"

Hibari sat down beside the tamer, and reached out, taking his hand. "Dino...? Are you... all right?" The tamer sadly shook his head, then began once more.

"I wish I could release everyone from this prison. I really do. But... that would mean the SCSB would close, and I'd be the reason for Chrome, Tsuna, Shoichi, Spanner, Mukuro, Luss, and even Reborn to lose all their jobs... and I would lose mine, too..."

Skull stalked away to Fon, unable to sympathize with the tamer, but Basil followed his mate's example in sitting down to comfort Dino. "Sir Dino," Basil began, "I know we may not seem like it, but we art not uncivilized beasts. We art fully aware of the consequences of our actions... but sometimes, we truly cannot resist the temptation of blood. Perhaps one day... we might evolve to no longer need it..."

"No... that won't help," Dino said. "Listen, you two. I'm aware of Fon's relations to Colonello. What if Colonello should get sick? Bel would undoubtedly get it from him- because you all know how horny Bel is-, and by doing so, Bel could easily spread it to Hayato, Mammon, and maybe Fran, but if Fran didn't get it _then_, he'd get it from _Rasiel_, who would've gotten it from Mammon." Dino paused to make sure that the vampires were following, then began again. "Heartsickness spreads through water. All the merpeople would get involved, Squalo would give it to Xanxus, and meanwhile, Hayato would give it to Takeshi, and the centaurs would get sick, because they have a weaker immune system. Centaurs are strong until they get a disease, Hibari. If that poor Lambo were to get sick... well, it wouldn't be good."

Hibari nodded, and, deciding that Dino needed to know the truth, said, "Dino... I didn't develop Heartsickness on my own."

"Hm? What do you mean?"

"Well, uh... I was given the disease... by Mukuro."

Dino stared for a moment, then stood, and left the enclosure without another word, leaving the vampires to mull over their next move. The tamer walked out of the cage and straight up to Mukuro's room, and, upon entering it, he found Mukuro, observing some of the things he'd crafted from what he'd recently killed. "Need something, tamer?" the hunter asked absently.

"Yes, I do," Dino said in a sharp voice. "Did you give Hibarin Heartsickness?"

Mukuro paused, then murmured, "Close the door." Dino obeyed the command, then came, and sat down on the bed beside the other, his caramel eyes blazing with anger. Mukuro explained, "I only did it because I knew that Basil was the only one who would get sick. Since Basil's weak, I was hoping he'd die, and I'd be free of competition."

Incredulous, Dino shook his head, and weakly said, "I can't believe you... Basil is a sweet soul, never meant to hurt anyone. And more importantly, Hibari fainted, and Fon revived him the _traditional_ vampire way." Mukuro looked confused. "Fon kissed him to give him blood. You know what that means, Mukuro?"

"Fon's Heartsick," Mukuro answered. "All right. So?"

_"So_ this is going to bring down a lot more creatures than you thought, Mukuro," Dino said. "Before you know it, the whole center will be filled with Heartsick creatures. We can't let people observe animals that are suffering and unable to even feed themselves- we'd be shut down, forced to release or shoot all of these amazing creatures. And the same outcome would show either way, because if people aren't observing, we can't afford to feed them or even clean enclosures. You've made one hell of a mistake, Mukuro."

The hunter paused. "But what if Fon _doesn't_ spread it?"

"We'll just have to see if that's possible," Dino spat, before getting up to leave. "Think about what you've done, and think of a solution. And make it fast. Depending on how you react to all this will determine whether I contact Reborn about the outbreak of Heartsickness among the vampires."

The tamer left, and Mukuro sighed, looking at the dried werewolf tail in his hand. Years of killing these supernatural beings, taking whatever they had to offer... fangs of a vampire, ears or tails of werewolves, minotaur horns, centaur hooves, fairy wings, merpeople tails and scales... all of it was catching up to him at last. It was time for a life or death decision to be made.

A year ago, Mukuro would have laughed in Dino's face, before saying that the welfare of these animals was of no matter to him. But now... he loved a vampire. He loved Hibari with everything he had. And because of that, and that alone, was this decision a tough one. He wanted to be able to hold Hibari in his arms and say confidently that the vampire belonged to him... but if he was responsible for the downfall of the Science Center for Supernatural Beings, he might have to watch that vampire die as he himself pulled the trigger. Suddenly, Mukuro felt the urge to steal Hibari away from that place, so that they could spend eternity together, and with that, he sat down on the bed, feeling a tad dizzy.

_Breaking into a bout of coughing, Mukuro made up his mind._

_Hibari belonged to him, and him alone._

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Hehehe~ How're the drawings going, everyone? The unofficial deadline is March 1, y'know... :) Well, what did ya think of this chapter? I'd like to know, so...<p>

Please Review~


	29. The Cheerful

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Twenty-nine: The Cheerful**

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><p>Dino headed up to the centaur enclosure, and behind him trailed both Hayato and Hibari, as well as the usual crowd of people. They walked up to the gate, and Hayato hopped in first, Hibari following closely. "Now be careful, you two!" Dino called. "Don't bully Lambo, even if the other centaurs encourage it! And Hibarin, just... <em>watch yourself<em>, all right?"

"Which one's Lambo?" one of the observers asked.

"Ah, the one with the horns..."

Meanwhile, Hayato made his way up Takeshi, sending Hibari a warning glance as he did so, and the vampire chuckled, going to try and befriend the new centaur. "Hey," the werewolf greeted as he approached the ebony-pelted centaur. Takeshi grinned at him, and came in, giving the silverette a brief hug as he did so.

"Missed you," he murmured into the werewolf's ear. Hayato blushed, and nervously wrung his hands as he gazed at the other.

"Dino said that we could brush off the centaurs today," he explained. "Since we've been helping out, y'know?"

"Haha~ all right," Takeshi said. "That's fine with me." Hayato took a good look at Takeshi's body before he finally placed the brush on his flank, and stroked back towards the tail. He repeated the motion several times, then, as he got closer to the hind legs, Takeshi started laughing quietly. "You don't need to be so shy," he told the werewolf. "It must be weird for you, I know, but it's really all right. For me, it doesn't feel much different than maybe a hand going down my thighs."

Hayato twitched.

Meanwhile, Hibari was doing the same with Lambo, gently working with the cow-print pelt as he made small talk with the halfbreed. "What's it like in Italy?" he asked.

"Well... I never really got to interact with the vampires or werewolves in Italy, but my close friend Fuuta, a merman, usually hung out with me. When we were feeding, we'd go out into a huge pasture... and in the center would be a grand lake where the merpeople resided. But... it wasn't like it is here. All of the centaurs back home were mean to me. No one ever commented on Zakuro's thick, red tail that looked kinda like a dinosaur tail, and no one ever made fun of Ginger's weird, black-with-white-stars patterned pelt. It was always me, because I'm _weak_."

Hibari sighed. "That sounds harsh. Back home, I was the weakest link, too. Since I was deprived of a family when I had just learned to hunt, I was often pushed around by the bigger, stronger vampires. But I don't mind that now, because it helped me learn to stand up for myself."

"Really?"

"Really," Hibari confirmed. "Now... what to do about your tail..."

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><p>"So, Takeshi," Hayato began as he tried to pick the dirt from the centaur's hooves. "You kind of have six limbs, you know... how does that work?"<p>

"Well... uh... it's hard to explain," Takeshi said. "It's like my brain can differ when the human chest is being touched, versus the horse chest... and when I move my arms or forelegs, it feels the same. It's like having two of the same thing... but I can control them seperately."

"Huh," the werewolf grunted. "Well, I'm pretty sure that's all I need to do. I'll catch you later?"

"Hey, wait," Takeshi laughed. "You don't have to leave so soon! How about a ride?"

The silverette sighed. "But I just brushed all the dirt off you!"

"That's okay," the centaur insisted. "I can't be still for a second anyway." Hayato had to take a moment, but he soon gave in.

"All right, explain to me how I... you know..."

The centaur eased himself lower to the ground, then patted his horse back. "Just... get on." Hayato rolled his eyes, but with Takeshi in that lower position, it wasn't difficult to do as requested. He hesitantly got onto Takeshi's back, then inched himself forward, before wrapping his arms around the other's human body.

"All right, get it over with," he mumbled.

"N'aw, c'mon, Hayato, this'll be fun," Takeshi said, standing upright again. "Just hold on... you'll be fine."

The werewolf sighed, and Takeshi began to walk, then start to trot, before breaking into a gallop that made the werewolf have to cling to him even tighter. Hayato placed his head on the other's shoulder, and suddenly realized how familiar this feeling was. Not so much the unsteady rhythm of the hooves on the ground, but the wind that blew his ears and hair back as they went forward. It was similar to riding a motorcycle, but even more so, it reminded the werewolf of spending time with Tsuna, standing up in the car with his head and arms out of the sun roof, and his tongue lolling out of his mouth as he savored the breeze.

Ah, yes, what a great feeling that was. The werewolf sighed, gently licking Takeshi's neck to show the other how nice he felt. Takeshi grinned, speeding up until he was cantering around the pasture faster than even Ryohei could, and he leaned back into Hayato's chest, savoring the sweet warmth that the other's bare chest granted him.

"Takeshi," Hayato murmured. "Slow down for a moment. I want to watch the muscles move beneath your pelt... I want to hear each indivitual hoof falling against the ground." The centaur obeyed, and Hayato smiled, loosening his grip around the other's waist. Every moment he spent with the centaur could only get better.

As Hayato enjoyed his ride, Hibari approached Byakuran, and bowed when he came close. "I don't need to be brushed, foolish vampire, I have the purity trait, remember?" Byakuran snickered. Hibari came back up.

"I didn't plan to... I was going to get your help with Kikyo."

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><p>Dino smiled as he watched the other creatures, but soon decided that he needed to groom Ryohei himself. The silver-pelted centaur was trotting in place, clearly frustrated that Takeshi was taking up the galloping room in the pasture, and, while the observers were focusing on Hibari and Byakuran's interaction, he moved through the gate and up to Ryohei.<p>

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><p><em>Later<em>...

"Hey, Hayato! Back from seeing your horseman, eh?" Colonello greeted, patting Hayato on the back as the silverette walked in. Hayato nodded, and laughed quietly, telling the army werewolf about his little adventure with the centaur. Colonello was highly amused by the little story, and he sighed, "That sounds fun, dammit. And here I am trying to hold Bel off'a me."

"Ha! I know how that goes," Hayato snorted. "Is Mammon not around or somethin'?"

"Well, not quite. That guy's gone off to see one of the vampires..."

"That's odd," Hayato commented, glancing past Colonello at the pair of princes who were wrestling about in the grass a few yards away. "At least that Rasiel guy came in. He lowered the hormones, and made Bel a lot nicer. Seeing them tumbling around like a couple of pups is a pretty heartwarming sight."

"Heh. You say that now, but you should've seen them earlier. They got into a bit of an arguement over Fran... Bel apparently doesn't want his brother to crossbreed."

"Too late for that," Hayato snickered. "Yesterday night... did you smell it? That wasn't any normal fishy smell; that was a _reeeaaally _fishy smell. I think Rasiel and the merman have already mated."

"Seriously?"

"Yeah."

As the two growing friends conversed, Bel and Jill, too, were having a serious discussion. "Why'd you do it?" Rasiel asked, his hands locked on Bel's shoulders. "You're going to really hurt your mate's feelings if you do something so treacherous."

"You took a new mate rather soon after telling me of yours," Bel challenged. "I did what I did to wake you up."

"I'm a grown wolf, Bel. I don't _need_ you to give me a wake-up call," the older twin said. "I chose him because of his personality, not his looks, and _not_ because he resembled Lal." As Rasiel spoke the name 'Lal', he teared up slightly beneath his bangs, and wondered if his old mate would have approved of his choice in helping Fran win Bel's heart. As things were going, after all, their plan was clearly working. "Whereas you mated with him just to prove a stupid point."

"Fran's a merman, Jill. A _merman_. Imagine if he didn't have that charm to make human legs. You'd have to find whatever opening possible in his tail, and I can guarantee it wouldn't be pretty to enter him."

The older blushed. "Now, Bel, you've got to respect the merperson anatomy. What if Hayato refused to mate with Takeshi because of the horse body being awkward for him? C'mon Bel- _you don't always have to be right."_

Bel snarled, cuffing his brother's ears and growling, "Centaurs and merpeople belong with centaurs and merpeople. Vampires are too snobby for us, and fairies are too small. Don't even get me started on minotaurs. A werewolf belongs with a werewolf, and that's _final_."

"So you decided to prove that to me by using Fran to relieve a little stress?" Rasiel snorted. "He's _mine_, Bel. I won't let you take him again."

Snorting in contempt, Bel released his brother, and the two solemnly stalked away from one another to cool down.

_Vampire enclosure_...

"No problem, Mammon," Hibari said, softly rubbing the werewolf's ear with two fingers. "I think you look better in the cloak than that tattered old shirt anyway. I'm glad you got it back."

"The hunter said he couldn't turn down a request from you... You must be very special to him," the indigo-haired werewolf said. Hibari smiled.

"I sure am."

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Please Review! Next chapter to focus on the characters in Italy. :D<p> 


	30. The Loyal

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Thirty: The Loyal**

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><p><em>A Few Descriptions of the main Italy-branch characters:<em>

Ginger Bread: Centaur. Black pelt with white stars. Orange hair and tail. Hoof color- off-white. Clothing: None, except for a white magician's hat and cape. As can be inferred, he's big on magic, and often helps around the center with cleaning and bringing pairs of creatures together.

Zakuro: Centaur. Palamino pelt, black socks. Blood red hair and tail. Hoof color- Three jet-black, front left hoof is off-white. Clothing: None. Has an extreme fascination with fire and volcanos.

Kyoko: Mermaid. Bright orange hair and tail. Used to take care of Fuuta before he moved. Best friends with Haru.

Haru: Mermaid. Dark, reddish-brown hair and tail. Used to take care of Fuuta before he moved. Best friends with Kyoko.

Lal Mirch: Werewolf. Long, dark blue hair, white-tipped dark blue tail and ears. A red scar stretches across her cheek. Clothes: Shirt that has been messily patched together from several tears. Black pants, and a brown, camoflauge cloak that she often wears when slipping out of the hunting area to meet Rasiel. Also wears heat-sensing goggles that she swiped from a human. Very serene and blunt, but loves her former mate very much.

Bianchi: Werewolf. Long, gray-pink hair and tail. Very matured body. Clothes: Short white t-shirt that exposes her stomach, and black pants. Hayato's older half-sister. Has trouble hunting on her own due to a previous experience in which venom from a naga (exclusively female human-snake hybrid) got on her claws. The venom had resided within her claws, and she can now no longer catch prey without poisoning it. Thankfully, she is immune to the corrosive poison, although her mate, Romeo, is not.

Romeo: Werewolf. Short, wavy, black hair and tail. Clothes: Wears jeans, and a dark gray-lavender shirt with a white jacket. He also has a chain link necklace. He's a skilled hunter, and is Bianchi's mate.

Lavina: Werewolf. Long, silvery hair and tail. Older woman. Clothes: Wears simple clothing, such as a white t-shirt, and a skirt. She's the mother of Hayato from the Japan branch, but was the second mate to his father. Hayato's father also was the father to Bianchi. She was sickly for a long time until Tsunayoshi gave her a cure that had taken even longer to develop, and she owes this favor to her son's persistence.

I-Pin: Vampire. Long, braided black hair. Fang Size: 1.4 cm. Clothes: Wears red robes that resemble Fon's, mainly to show their relationship as mentor and apprentice. She's a kindhearted girl, and is particularly skilled at fighting off the urges to drink blood.

Nozaru: Vampire. Long, bright pink hair. Fang Size: 1.6 cm. Clothes: Wears traditional black robes. Closely associated with Tazaru.

Tazaru: Vampire. Short, blonde hair. Fang Size: 2 cm. Clothes: Wears traditional black robes. He's one of the only vampires in the world to be dark-skinned. Closely associated with Nozaru.

Shamal: Tamer- Doctor. Short, black hair (the style of which is similar to Hayato's in the Japan branch). Clothes: Doctor's coat, black shirt, tie, black pants. He tends to be a womanizer, but regardless, he is very familiar with the animals, and often treats the diseases that show.

Verde: Tamer- Scientist. Pine-green hair that tends to stick up. Clothes: Scientist's coat, mostly formal wear, and also wears round-lens glasses. He's very intrested in the creatures at the center for their scientific value, but is more often working the gates than researching.

Gamma: Hunter- Also Exclusively Tames Centaurs. Short, combed back, blonde hair. Clothes: white shirt, leather coat and pants. Used to hang out at a bar, living off wagers at the pool table until he met Yuni, who offered him a job at the SCSB. He immediately became fond of the centaurs, and has been working in the pasture for the majority of his stay. He uses his old pool cue to help tame centaurs.

Yuni: Boss of the Italy branch. Short, dark green hair, and very blue eyes. Clothes: She often wears the t-shirt, jeans combo, but she hides this with a white cloak, and a hat that somewhat resembles a big, white mushroom. She's a purehearted woman, and her main goal is not to learn, but to protect. Because of this concept, the SCSB is very popular, if a little poor.

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Italian Branch- Centaur Enclosure- 10:00 PM<em>

"Uwah, it's so quiet here without that cow kid," Zakuro groaned, reaching up and rubbing his tired eyes as he fought back his drowsiness.

Quiet, quiet, _indeed_~," Ginger chimed, his orange tail flicking as he trotted up to Zakuro. "We could mess with the tamer," he suggested, indicating to the man who sat beneath a tree, reading a book.

"Nah, let's not," Zakuro sighed. "That guy's scary with his dumb whackin' stick."

Ginger giggled and pulled down his bright, white wizard hat. "I hear that he uses that thing for other purposes," he hinted. "And I'm not just talking sports, fufu~."

Zakuro arched a brow, and snickered, "I didn't know you were so kinky, _Bread_."

"It's Ginger," the other centaur muttered, his bubble having been bursted as he began to walk off. "Well, since I'm bored, I may as well start cleaning the enclosure."

"Be my guest," Zakuro said, sweeping his tail side to side and heading to the back of the enclosure.

As the centaurs talked with one another, the tamer closed the book on werewolves, finding it to be rather boring, and sounding quite false. As he stood back up, he watched Ginger come back from a corner of the enclosure with a broom, and chuckled as the magic-obsessesed centaur started to _'dust off'_ Zakuro's face.

"What are you doing, idjit?" Zakuro shouted, making a run at Ginger. The two began to chase one another around the enclosure, and Gamma smiled, knowing that no serious harm would befall either of them. It was as though those two colts had never grown up, after all; they were practically still teenagers. And although he missed the little guy, Gamma was glad that Lambo had been taken away, for he was becoming a fearful centaur with Zakuro and Ginger around. Gamma had hoped that Lambo would toughen up and learn how to stand up for himself, but that hadn't happened.

"Hey, Gamma," Verde called from the fence. "Are you intrested in werewolves, or what?"

"Not really," Gamma answered, walking over to the other tamer. "I just prefer the centaurs..."

"That's all good and well, but if you don't find out some mating habits soon, I'm going to make you work another cage."

"Oh, come on, Verde, we have five centaurs, and three of them don't even stay in the pasture. Zakuro and Ginger aren't likely to mate."

The scientist sighed, and began to leave. "I've got to go feed the merpeople. Just watch over the vampires for a little bit, all right? Your centaurs will be fine."

Gamma shrugged, and hopped the fence, then moved on towards the vampire enclosure. When he reached it, he naturally frowned. It was a large, dark cave with little light but a few candles about the walls, and in the center of the enclosure stood a knot of feral vampires, all mindlessly drinking the blood of their neighbor. These group blood-shares, to Gamma, were the most disgusting things about their kind. But then, he noticed, in the far corner was I-Pin, gracefully practicing her martial arts in the same way Fon always would. Observing her, Gamma smiled, as it took his mind off of the vampire-orgy a few yards away. I-Pin soon noticed him, however, and approached with that same grace, and it was beginning to worry Gamma as she walked up to him.

"Greetings, tamer," she said. "How are you?"

"I was doing good until I saw that," Gamma said, pointing at the vampires in the center.

"It is a very complex bonding ritual, that's for sure," I-Pin chuckled. "I'm sad to say that it's also not the most attractive display unless one is participating."

"I see," Gamma sighed. "Well, why aren't you participating in it?"

"My Master raised and nurtured me on his blood," I-Pin explained. "Because of this, I don't crave the blood of anyone else."

"You mean, Fon, right?" Gamma said. "What are you going to do if you _do_ crave blood?"

"I will fight it," I-Pin replied. "I want to make my Master proud." With that, the young female turned and walked away, and Gamma smiled, glad that there was at least one sane vampire in the enclosure.

"All right, Gamma, it's time for the vampires to hunt," Verde said, walking over to the control panel that was disguised in rocks, and pulling down a lever. The centaur tamer watched as the gate rose, then observed as the group of vampires disbanded and broke out into the wild, each quietly screeching in excitement as they burst into the limited forest beyond. I-Pin was the only one to stay back, walking calmly out into the open space with the same grace of her Master. "You can head back to the centaurs now, or you could head on to the werewolf enclosure- your choice."

Verde left at that, and Gamma sighed, walking away from the enclosure, when he came upon his boss. "Y-Yuni...," he greeted. The young girl smiled back at him.

"Gamma..."

"I was just... er... heading to the centaur enclosure...," Gamma murmured.

"I was going to see the werewolves back from hunting, so I guess I'll catch you later, ne?" Yuni said.

"Y-yeah, I guess..."

As Yuni walked away, Gamma smacked himself for getting nervous, and started back towards the centaur enclosure.

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Vampire Original Enclosure- 12:00 PM<em>

"Hibarin...," Mukuro murmured as the vampires filed into the hunting area. The last vampire stopped, and looked at him, confused, and Mukuro undid the lock on the door, and allowed Hibari to come out. Confused, the vampire folded his arms.

"What now?" he asked.

"I want to-," Mukuro began, before suddenly turning away and coughing ruggedly. Hibari watched, and placed a hand on the illusionist's back, rubbing gently until the hunter calmed down. "I want to talk to you about something," Mukuro finished, standing up straight again. Hibari noticed the paleness in the illusionist's face, and placed his hand on the other's cheek.

"_Something's wrong with you,"_ he murmured. Mukuro shook his head.

"No, I'm fine. It's just a little cold. Promise. Come now..."

Hibari followed the hunter out and up into his room, and observed as Mukuro sat down on the bed. The illusionist lied down, and Hibari sighed. "I'm not mating with you today," he said, before suddenly feeling a burst of lightheadedness. With that feeling, he swept down onto the bed, and groaned quietly. "Nng... my head..."

"Hibarin," Mukuro murmured, pulling the vampire closer. "There's a cure... there's a cure to Heartsickness."

Hibari allowed himself to be pulled into the hunter's lap, and breathed, "What...?"

"You have to break away from the one you really love entirely. What this means is... I'm going to leave."

"What...?" Hibari rasped. "_Leave?"_

"A month, at least," Mukuro sighed. "By then, the Heartsickness will fade away, and you can't get it twice... like chicken pox. I have to remove myself from the picture in order for you to heal. Also... the schedule is going to change so that Fon and Colonello don't come into contact with each other. Werewolves and centaurs are going to have swapped feeding times."

"I don't want to be away from you," Hibari snapped. "_You can't leave me."_

"You don't have much choice," Mukuro breathed. "C'mon, Hibarin, it's for the better good." Hibari came in and bit down on Mukuro's neck, then drank greedily, making the hunter close his eyes and lean back, quietly moaning. "Hibarin... no... not today... not like this... I can't... handle it..."

"You'll take it, because you love me," Hibari snarled, blood dripping down his chin. "I _won't_ let you leave me."

"Hibarin... I...," Mukuro moaned quietly. "I love you, but... I really can't let you stay Heartsick... what I did was a terrible thing... I can't let you get any closer, or it'll just get worse."

Hibari frowned, then, overcome by desire, started to undress. "Get ready, Rokudo," he hissed. "I'm going to take you. And I can guarantee this won't be like last time."

Mukuro stared for a moment, dazed, then closed his eyes. He was too weak to fight back, even though he knew it was wrong.

Because he knew...

He wanted it, too.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Phew. That took a LOT of effort, so please take some of that and put it your reviews, ne?<p>

Course, the descriptions took up a lot of space. But whatever~ It was fun~

Please Review!


	31. The Close

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Thirty-one: The Close**

**1869 LEMON ALERT IN THIS CHAPTER**. (If you don't want to read about Hibari as a seme, there's a line to seperate the actual lemon and when said lemon comes to a close.)

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Merpeople Enclosure- 2:00 AM<em>

Fran hadn't left his cave since the incident. A couple days ago, Bel had approached him, acting first like Rasiel, but Fran soon saw that it was most certainly not that prince. It was Belphegor, indeed, and he was in a really dark place. That night, Fran had both lost his first time, and lost a lot of affection for Bel, because the words uttered into his ear spoke_, 'You will not have my brother. You will not shame the werewolf race, you disgusting fish.'_

It was horrible.

Even as it felt like a dream come true, it was horrible. All of the sensations were just as Fran had imagined, yet Bel's sadistic way of expressing his lust was a huge turn-off. Fran reached down, running his fingers over the crease in his tail, then sighed, and hugged himself. "I don't think I'll be in human form for a long time," he sighed. "I should just stay here... where it's safe..." Suddenly, another merman surfaced beside him, and Fran smiled to see someone who he hadn't expected to see for a while yet. "Squalo," he greeted. "You're back!"

"Heh! And tough as ever!" Squalo boasted. "Xanxus's fine, too. Got over that little disease he had. I can say with confidence that he's going to be alive for a while yet."

"That's good news...," Fran replied, before looking down and tearing up. "I missed your company... I've got a lot to tell you."

Fran explained to the merman everything that had gone on with his life up until then, and by the end, Squalo was pissed off. "Fran, you _seriously_ need a new love intrest," he muttered. "All right now, come along. Let's get some sort of plan worked out, all right?"

_Meanwhile, in Mukuro Rokudo's bedroom..._

"H-Hibarin...," Mukuro moaned quietly, his arms draped around his love's neck. His frail form was overtaken by spasms of pleasure as the elite vampire thrusted inside him with that perfection only something supernatural could create. "Nn... hah..."

"You're more sensitive than I originally thought," Hibari panted, his face flushed as he loomed over Mukuro. "More so than Basil."

"No way," Mukuro chuckled dryly, digging his nails into the other's back. "It's just hard to believe this is what I put you through... hahh... although I used a much, _much_ safer method."

"Heh," the vampire grunted, "come now, Mukuro. The only thing dangerous about me is my Heartsickness, and you claim to be immune."

"Yeah... well...," Mukuro sighed, "hey, vampire, do me a favor... bite me, would you?"

"With _pleasure_," Hibari husked, coming in and baring his fangs, letting them hover over their prey for a moment before he dipped into the meal, and Mukuro's moans got significantly louder, and the fingers digging into his back got more rough. Hibari then soon parted, for the sweet blood had brought him much higher up in the sky. "Mukuro... I think that point is approaching... you know... what did you call it?"

"Call it what you want, Hibarin... just make sure that your careful," Mukuro sighed, leaning back, stroking himself as he grew closer to his own orgasm. "And do me a favor... make it good so that you fall asleep after this."

Hibari chuckled, then started drinking again, becoming even more pleasure-drunk as he absorbed Mukuro, and soon, Hibari was finding himself on the edge, trying to balance for a moment, then leaping off, crying out as the tension broke, and Mukuro sighed, his own climax underway as the both of them groaned loudly, before Hibari at last collapsed, too exhausted to keep on going.

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><p>The only sound was quiet, gradually slowing pantings as the two beings settled beside each other, and the room darkened as the hunter rolled over, and blew out the bright candle that lit it. "Hibarin," Mukuro murmured, glancing back at the vampire beside him. "Look, I'm glad... what we just... but at the same time, are you positive that this is the right choice?"<p>

"Hmm?" Hibari hummed, glancing back at Mukuro. "What do you mean?"

"I mean... if we're going to do this... often, I mean... I have no doubts that someone will find out. Hibarin... I love you... but..."

"I love you, and I love Basil, too," Hibari rasped. "But if you leave, I won't be able to handle the stress. You're my first love. My _true_ love."

Mukuro rolled on top of the vampire, and whispered, "I'd have never thought that I would bottom to a monster like you, Hibarin."

Hibari frowned._ "Monster?"_

"Fufufu... you know I'm kidding, dear Hibarin," Mukuro whispered, leaning down and kissing the vampire. Hibari reluctantly kissed back, offended by Mukuro's remark, before remembering that Mukuro had allowed him to do something that most vampires were never allowed to do. He smiled.

"Thank you. You could've stopped me at any moment... but you didn't."

"I was repaying a favor," the hunter murmured. "Hibarin... I... I have something to confess."

Hibari glanced back a the other, blinking in confusion, and snuggling closer into the other's chest. "What's wrong?" he murmured.

"Hibarin... I think... I think I have Heartsickness," Mukuro breathed, lying down beside Hibarin. The hunter held Hibari closely in his arms, and whispered, "It happened after our last kiss... I suppose the virus was still fresh on my lips when I discovered how much I loved you. How sad I would be if I lost you... I love you... so much... I can't even maintain my pride when I'm around you... I just... _crumble."_

"That's not true," Hibari murmured. "You're strong for me until you lose yourself to temptation. Regardless... I feel the same way. If you're really Heartsick... then so be it. Because I don't care. I'll look after you. I'll make sure that the Heartsickness doesn't-"

"I need to leave," Mukuro said. "Please. I want us both to be cured."

"But-"

"Just a month," Mukuro stressed. "Make tonight last."

"... I will."

The vampire nuzzled into Mukuro's neck, and softly rasped his tongue over the fresh wound on Mukuro's throat, his eyes growing watery as he imagined a month without the one who bore his true love. He'd have to rely on Basil for relief... and even though that was an all right solution, Basil couldn't fully satisfy his needs like Mukuro could. Gently nursing on the bite mark on Mukuro's neck, Hibari allowed a tear to roll down his cheek and fall onto Mukuro's shoulder. He didn't think he'd be able to take such a long time without the hunter's blood.

_Meanwhile, In the darkest corner of the SCSB..._

Xanxus groaned, pacing back and forth angrily as he struggled to shake the thoughts from his head. He'd been content to watch the lit tank with Squalo in it, even if the merman had been unconcious. Squalo had saved his life, and deep down, he appreciated that, even if he didn't show it. Xanxus watched Squalo recover every second of the way, observing as the wounds healed, not even craving blood as Squalo slowly regained conciousness. The day when Squalo opened his eyes was as important as the day Xanxus was brought into this center, and when Squalo began to speak again, it made Xanxus give a true smile. But then, that Dino had come in. He had said, quote,_ "Squalo! You're feeling better, eh? I'm so relieved... I was worried about you."_ And with that, Dino had picked Squalo from the cage, and carried him back to the merpeople tank.

Now, the vampire was seething with envy, enraged by the tamer's actions. How _dare_ he treat Squalo in that way. Squalo belonged to Xanxus, and him alone. No one could touch Squalo but him. The vampire hissed, throwing his fist into the wall, then coming up to the bars and shaking them fiercely. "Damn scum...!" he hissed. "Messing with my merman..."

Xanxus sank to his knees, trembling with rage, then dug his fingers into the dirt.

"He's made one hell of a mistake... that tamer has."

-**End Chapter**

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><p>And there's the long overdue jealous Xanxus.<p>

Well, hope this warmed people up to the 1869 a little... XD

Please Review!


	32. The Lonely

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Thirty-two: The Lonely**

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- The Hunter's Bedroom, 5:00 AM<em>

Hibari sat up, tiredly rubbing his eyes, then looked at the man who was placing tails, fangs, and other materials into a suitcase. "What are you doing?" Hibari asked. The hunter looked up, then moved what seemed to be a dried merperson tail into the case as well.

"While I'm out, I may as well scrounge up some money," Mukuro sighed, "I mean... I _did_ earn this."

"You're leaving already?" Hibari whimpered, standing to start getting dressed.

"It hurts me too, Hibarin," Mukuro sighed, "I've already told Dino to help you back into a non-suspicious area. Stay here until he arrives, clean yourself up a bit. Arrivederci, my vampire."

Hibari watched as the hunter walked away, and pouted, knowing that he wouldn't see Mukuro again until the next full moon. With that in mind, the elite vampire tied on his cape, and sat down on the bed, trying to fix up his hair. He waited patiently, at first, but soon became restless, for his fangs were starting to feel numb, and cold. He'd allowed too much blood to enter his system last night- and now, he was going through a small withdrawal. Mukuro's sweet blood was pulsing inside his body, mixed alike with his own... Ah, that sweet heartbeat that seemed to create a second rhythm within Hibari's body.

The vampire reached up, brushing his fingers over his fangs, and moaning quietly as he felt along the white blades. He gently rubbed the slit on the back of the fangs, then paused, and stopped. What was he doing? He was above that senseless self-service. Much more might lead him to bite himself, and such wouldn't bring any good end. But then again...

Hibari shook his head. This was no time to fantasize about certain bodily fluids.

"Hibarin?" Dino greeted. "You in here?"

"Here," Hibari said. Dino walked over to him.

"You and Mukuro _'mated'_ last night?" he asked. The vampire nodded, blushing. "Well, all right. I know about your relationship with Mukuro. Just don't let Basil find out. C'mon... help me out with the centaurs before I take you back."

"They're feeding now...?" Hibari asked. The tamer nodded, and the vampire then remembered being told that the werewolves and centaurs had switched schedules. "All right... I'll go..."

_Meanwhile, in the vampire's enclosure..._

Basil lied on the ground, sniffling pitifully as the images flashed across his mind. His bond with Hibari had grown to the point where he could feel what his mate was going through. And he did not approve. His mate had gone behind his back and mated with Mukuro- the gravest sin a vampire could commit. To betray one's mate was to show a complete disregard for vampire society- and to say, bluntly, that they did not love saidmate. After all, in a true love relationship, neither vampire would ever do something so decietful and cruel.

"Basilicum... talk to me," Fon murmured, sitting down beside the young vampire. "You don't need to put yourself through lone suffering."

"Hibarin... my lord... my mate... he mated with another," Basil murmured. "He mated with the hunter. I could see it... the pleasure on his face... I hast been so good to him... I did not suspect anything when he started to taste odd- I thought it was Heartsickness. But no... it was the blood of the hunter I hast tasted! That tainted blood now runs within me, too!"

Fon sighed, and petted Basil's head, pitying the young vampire for what he had to go through. He knew what it was like to lose a true love. He vividly remembered the day his father left the family, and even more clear was the dispair of his mother...

_Nine hundred years ago..._

"I'm sorry. I've fallen in love... with a hunter! In fact... it's always been him... not you...," breathed Alaude. "I'm sorry." Elena stared at the man, stunned, before her eyes narrowed dangerously.

"Do you mean Daemon Spade?" she shouted. Alaude looked down, shameful.

"He already has children for me to raise on my blood... you must see that it would be an advantage for vampire society if I were to make a hybrid of hunters by injecting them with my blood."

"What about the son you already have?" Elena cried. "What about our Fon?"

"He is a beautiful child, I see that," Alaude sighed, hanging his head. "And he has a delightful resemblance to my brother, of the Hibari clan. He and his cousin will become very close."

"No. No, I won't play along with this!" Elena snarled. "I refuse to let Fon come into contact with Hibarin any further! I will raise him solely on the blood of my clan, and he shall want for nothing."

Fon stared at his parents from the bushes, his eyes wide with stress as he tried to comprehend what was going on. His father didn't love his mother? That was impossible! Fon had been told all the stories about what true love is like, and how two vampires mate, how new vampires are born, how to avoid hurting a partner in blood exchanges... all of these things to prepare him for choosing a mate... and yet, _this_ was happening?

Fon loved his parents very much, and even more did he love interacting with his cousin, Hibari Natsu Kyoya II. He loved crossing the sea into Japan so that his father, Alaude, and the leader of the Hibari clan, Alaude's brother, would meet up in a family conference. He loved everything about his life...

All of that was destroyed that day, however. Alaude left to mate with a human, and Elena found herself unable to continue on. She lied in bed for days at a time, and because of this, Fon was forced to hunt by himself. And one day, when he was out hunting, a woman riding on a sort of centaur hybrid came out in front of him, a bow in her hand. The centaur was greatly adapted to the environment, with feathers mixed within his red hair and pelt, and wearing a coat that easily blended into the forest background. It even looked as though he had false fangs. The hunter, a green-haired female who was clearly pregnant, wearing white robes, fired an arrow at Fon, sending him backwards to the ground, then leapt off of the centaur.

"Stay there, Cozart," she said. "All we need are the fangs. I'm certain that this is one of the Hibaris." Fon gasped as the woman, who could've appeared as a nice human, picked him up by the throat and threw him back into a tree, before taking a pair of tweezer-like tools, and latching them onto one of Fon's fangs. The vampire squealed with pain as the fang was torn out of his body, and he trembled as a few droplets of his own blood seeped onto his tongue. Immediately, he covered his mouth with both hands, not about to lose his vampirehood. "Come now, don't be difficult...," the woman sighed, trying to pry his mouth open once more.

"Mistress Luce!" the mutant centaur shouted, rearing up as a hoarde of vampires emerged from the shadows to protect their fellow. "We need to get out of here!"

The woman turned and immediately leapt back on to her centaur, giving Fon a final glare before wings burst from the centaurs back, and he lifted himself into the air, escaping in that instant. Fon took a moment to awe at the mutant and his 'mistress's escape, before glancing back at the vampires that had protected him. They all bowed to him, and Fon blushed, quietly asking why they would do such a thing. "You are our lord... our master," the vampires spoke in unison. "You are a Hibari. One of the greatest leaders in the movement against human kind. Your fangs are precious. You have lost one... you will not lose the other."

"Well... thank you... but my relation to the Hibari clan is a little... faded."

A young girl stepped up from within the shadows, and approached Fon, then bowed. "My name is I-Pin... Master Fon, will you take me as your apprentice?"

Fon's head was spinning. Everything was happening so fast. He was a young vampire, parents divorced, a fang torn out, and now he was being worshipped by tens of vampires that he didn't know. And it took many years for him to understand just how important he was.

_End Flashback._

"Lord Fon?"

Fon shook his head. He'd recalled much more than he'd intended to. "Basilicum, treachery is a rare occurence amongst vampires, and when it strikes, it is devistating. However, as Hibarin's true love, you must accept his decision."

Basil's tears soaked his clothes as he lied down on his stomach, head buried in his arms. "I was positive that Lord Hibarin loved me... I was sure of it... but... apparently, I art not good enough for him... I art weak... I art frail."

"Now, Basilicum," Fon soothed. "You must calm down. I'm sure that-"

"Basil!" The young vampire looked up as Hibari ran over to him, and Fon stood, nodding to his cousin, before walking away. "Basil, are you all right?" Hibari asked. Basil shook his head.

"My Lord... to see what I hast seen be already quite tragic... but to see thou before me... when thou art scented as the hunter. I can smell the fluids of his foul lusts splattered across thy stomach. It disgusts me."

Hibari blushed, realizing that what Basil said was very likely true. He'd hardly 'cleaned himself up,' and now, Basil could smell exactly where he'd been. "Basil... I..."

"No more apologies, my Lord!" Basil all but shouted. "I've had _quite _enough!" Hibari stared, shocked, as the young vampire grabbed a hold of his shoulders and sank his fangs harshly into the ravenette's throat. The older vampire gagged, and tried to escape, but the fangs around his throat only clamped down harder, and harder, before Fon and Skull both decided to step in. They forced the young vampire to release his mate, and Hibari collapsed, clutching his throat as it leaked out thickening blood. The wound quickly scabbed over, and healed, but even so, the loss of blood from Basil's roughness made Hibari dizzy.

"Basil... I do love you...," Hibari whispered, closing his eyes. "Really... you're... wonderful..."

With that, the elite vampire's conciousness faded, and Basil stood limply in the arms of Skull and Fon, quivering still. "I can't handle it," he whispered, before breaking into a severe cough. "His blood is dirtied... corrupted... it cannot sate my hunger..."

"Hey, Basil," Skull sighed, picking the young one up and holding him over his shoulder. "I'll give you some of mine..."

"You'll get Heartsick," Basil rasped. The other chuckled.

_"I don't care."_

And Hibari's unconcious mind became increasingly jealous.

-**End Chapter**

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><p>Whoo, that took me a bit longer than usual!<p>

Please Review!


	33. The Vengeful

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Thirty-Three: The Vengeful**

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Merpeople Enclosure- 12:00 AM<em>

The water was cold at night, and as Fran navigated silently through the tunnel towards the werewolf enclosure, his face was solemn, and his own steady heartbeat seemed loud. He soon emerged at the surface of the water, and looked over at the nest of dried grass and leaves a distance away. In that nest lied two princes, both asleep and likely dreaming. Fran lifted himself onto the dirt, and, making sure that his tail didn't transform into human legs, he dragged himself over to the bed like a seal. He soon sat before the two princes, his eyes cold, and he leaned down, then pressed his icy, wet lips into Rasiel's cheek. The older, blonde werewolf awoke, and Fran indicated to the prince's brother. Jill nodded, and stood, stalking away from the nest in dignified silence.

Fran then slid into the nest, and wrapped his arms around the other prince's torso, pulling him up against his chest. Bel was silent for this, but did turn over, and his eyes locked into Fran's in deafening tension. The moment in which they gazed at each other lasted longer than Fran wanted, but it soon lost all tension as Bel leaned in and kissed the merman. Clearly, Fran's plan had worked. Bel had mistaken him for Mammon. When Fran realized that the coast was clear, he turned Bel over, and slid his cold fingers over Bel's bare chest, making sure to alert the prince to his intentions. Bel's cheshire grin was wide and white in the black lighting of the enclosure, and Fran smiled, reaching out and caressing the prince's cheek.

"I love you," he whispered.

"I love you too, Monta," Bel returned quietly, reaching up and running his fingers up and down the merman's spine. Fran shuddered, and came in, then, to imitate a werewolf's mating habits, licked Bel's cheek. The action was convincing enough, and Bel soon breathed, "Taking dominence today, Monta?"

Fran nodded. "I want all of you to myself," he rasped. Bel giggled quietly, and laid back, and Fran proceeded to move on to the prince's more intimate areas, a grin playing on his shy lips as he took what belonged to him. Just as he drew down the other's pants, however, he was bowled over by another werewolf, and he grunted as a sopping wet wolf tail slapped over his legs, reverting them back into a merman's tail.

"You jealous little bastard!" howled the wolf. "How dare you try to take him away from me!"

"Mammon?" Fran gasped, before snarling, "Get off! He's mine!"

"He doesn't want you!" Mammon barked. "He's never shown an ounce of love for you, Fran!"

Even though his eyes were getting watery, the merman cried, "But he mated with me! Just the other night!"

Knowing that he couldn't argue against that, Mammon growled and bit down on Fran's shoulder with sharpened, predatory fangs that tore the skin as well as a vampire's fangs could. Fran gasped, then retaliated by throwing his tail up, winding the werewolf as well as throwing him back. As they fought, Bel watched, intruiged, his ears forward as he smelled the blood of Fran. Once he realized that Fran had sneakily attempted to mate with him, the prince blushed, because he had come to the realization of how skillfully Fran had touched him, and that the merman had actually adopted werewolf mating habits, as if to impress him. Bel now didn't care who came out on top, because he'd be satisfied with either one of them, and on that note, he lied down on his stomach, his tail sweeping over the ground in anticipation of seeing more.

"You've picked a fight with the wrong wolf, Fran! My parents used to hunt your kind for dinner!" Mammon hissed as he pulled himself up off the ground. "Don't you get it? I can tear you apart!"

"I don't care!" Fran cried. "It's Bel or death for me!"

Mammon's wolf ears went limp at the words, as if ashamed that he was unable to say the same, but he quickly got back on track, and tackled the merman, who continued to lie, seemingly defenseless, on the ground. Fran responded to the move by swinging a fist up and nailing it into Mammon's stomach, causing the werewolf to whimper quietly. "Give up," Mammon panted. "He's... not yours..." Fran slammed his tail onto the other's side, and Mammon yelped in pain. "He's... he's mine...," he rasped, his voice growing weak.

Suddenly, another werewolf dashed out, and grabbed Mammon, then yanked him back. "Don't kill yourself!" the werewolf barked. "Fran's too strong for you!"

"Bel... _please_...," Mammon whimpered, coming towards the other werewolf. The other backed up slightly, starting to say, 'I'm not...,' but when their lips met, the other couldn't protest. Belphegor rose from his bed, and scrambled over to Fran, then sat down uncertainly beside him.

"You okay...?" he murmured. Fran sniffled, then buried himself in the prince's chest.

"I'm sorry, Jill... I tried... I tried _so_ hard... I'm just... not good enough...," he whimpered.

Dumbstruck, Bel weaved his fingers into the damp, teal hair, and murmured, "I'm... not Rasiel."

When it dawned on Fran that it wasn't Rasiel, he was both stunne, and touched at the same time. "Bel...?" he rasped. The other gave a nod, and Fran hugged the prince tighter than ever, and silently sobbed into the blonde's chest. Bel's ears lied flat with shame as he realized how cruelly he had been treating the merman, and as he looked back to Mammon, who was unknowingly kissing Rasiel, he decided that things were fine as they were. He took Fran back to his bed, and continued to comfort the merman, stroking down his back. However, Mammon soon realized just who it was that he was kissing, and he backed up, shocked.

"I- I'm sorry, Rasiel... uh... I..."

"Don't worry about it," Rasiel replied. "I don't mind. You're... pretty cute, Mammon." Mammon glanced back at Bel, then looked at Rasiel, and he trembled. The older prince sighed, and patted Mammon's head. "It's okay. Take some time to mourn the loss... then talk to me if you're intrested."

The other wolf stalked away, and Rasiel stared after him in pity, before walking back towards his own nest, and not minding the merman who intruded on their space. "Jill...," Bel rasped as he glanced back at him. "Thanks. I have a feeling that you helped make this happen." Jill gave a tired nod, and curled up, his back to the two so that they could have their privacy.

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><p><em>Meanwhile... on the opposite end of the enclosure...<em>

"Ugh... way to wake me up," Colonello groaned, standing. He glanced at the other werewolf that was curled up beside him, and grinned. "I pity you, dammit," he sighed, before stalking out of the enclosure. He soon realized that the door to the hunting enclosure was open, and he weaved through it, coming out upon a group of vampires as he did so. It seemed as though it was their hunting period. Colonello grinned, seeing Fon, and ran over to him, smiling brightly. "Fon!" he called. The vampire looked back at him, and his black eyes grew solemn.

"Colonello...," he murmured. The army werewolf slowed to a stop, and cocked his head, confused.

"What's up, dammit?" he asked. Fon sighed, and wrapped his arms around the other, and, feeling the warmth of Fon's robes against his bare chest, Colonello rubbed into the fabric, and gave Fon's ear a lick. "I missed you," he murmured, "why'd they change the schedules, dammit?"

If Colonello's head hadn't been against Fon's shoulder, he might have been able to see the gleam of a tear as it tracked down the Chinese vampire's face. "You're sweet," Fon rasped. "You're so sweet."

Fon looked down at the bare neck that was exposed to him, and trembled, feeling in his single true fang the lust that rarely ever hit him. He wanted that blood above everything else. He craved it. His hands traveled up the other's toned back, and Fon came in, then planted a kiss on the crook of the werewolf's neck. He then dragged his tongue along it, torturing himself as he resisted the urges that flowed through his veins.

"Oh, Colonello," he panted. "I want you so bad."

Colonello gently pushed the vampire back, and murmured, "What's wrong? If it's blood you want, go ahead, dammit."

"No... no, I can't," Fon cried, "Colonello... I'm... _Heartsick_."

Colonello's eyes grew wide. "How?"

"I gave my cousin blood to revive him from a fainting. He had it... I didn't know... and now... now... I'm...!" Fon broke down afterwards, unable to fight any longer, and he sank his fangs into Colonello's neck, then drank heartily, and his mouth cradled the blood that flowed into it, savoring every drop as his true fang gave him indescribable pleasure. The Chinese vampire moaned, clinging desperately to Colonello as he greedily took the blood, and soon, he had Colonello making similar sounds.

"Fon, I don't care...," Colonello panted. "I don't care that you have Heartsickness. I'm sure I won't get it... not yet... hah... not now... because I don't know if... what I feel for you is..."

Fon parted from the werewolf, and, licked his lips, then took a few steps back. "If you're not sure... what am I supposed to do?" he whimpered. "You... don't feel the same...?"

"Now, Fon... Heartsickness makes your emotions a little more vivid... calm down," Colonello rasped. "I do love you... but _true_ love...? I need to think about that, dammit."

Fon walked away in silence, then, as if collecting himself, stood upright, and leaned into a martial arts position. He sighed, and Colonello watched, fascinated, as Fon drew himself up, and then relaxed once more. "Leave me," Fon breathed. "Allow me to settle." Feeling a bit bad about himself, Colonello stalked back to the pond, to fish for a while.

Fon performed a few moves as he stood there, and, growing hot under his cloak, he took off his robes, and left them in the grass as he practiced without them. His body was well toned beneath his cloak, and the muscles flexed and relaxed beneath them, showing their hidden power as he worked. He gave a gentle groan as he felt a drop of blood seep into his mouth from between the halves of his false fang, and he whimpered, closing his eyes as the sweet ecstasy clouded his senses. He never wanted to feel like that again. He didn't want to develop a high from the blood; he didn't want to lose himself to an addiction.

His heart throbbed with need as he looked back at Colonello, and he closed his eyes instantly, too pained to keep watching. The sting of knowing that he was alone in the world was more vivid than ever as he reached in and hugged himself, feeling a sudden dizziness overtake him. The throbbing of his heart migrated to his head, and he collapsed, unable to take the pain any longer.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>A~ah, and the B26 scene is resolved! :D We'll see more on that pairing a little later. Hehe~<p>

**Video update:** I'm missing most of the scenes I'll need for the story... in fact, I have three pictures total (one's a transition scene). I'm expanding the time until next month! Available scenes at the moment are:

1. Hibari bowing to Mukuro when his full name is given.

2. Hibari wiping tomato juice off of his lips, blushing in embarrassment.

3. Basil/Hibari kissing. (With Hibari looking suprised about it, of course.)

Please Review!


	34. The Ancient

**Captured Hearts **

**Chapter Thirty-four: The Ancient**

**STORY NOTICE**: I'm going to change Hibari's age in human years- instead of 'a few hundred,' it's one thousand years, so that Fon's flashback makes sense. Chapter 1 where this occurs has been updated. His actual age by comparison, however is still 'in the teen years.'

To clarify something else, the nine hundred year separation from the main storyline and most flashbacks spans three generations for humans (this story is futuristic- humans live much longer), one for vampires, three for werewolves, four for merpeople. In other words...

Humans or Morphs: grandchildren are present time characters in story. Ex: Luce- Yuni, Spade- Mukuro, Giotto- Tsuna, Cozart- Enma Vampires: Sons or original characters are present time characters in story. Ex: Alaude/Elena- Fon, Alaude's brother- Hibari. Hibari- Hibari. Fon- Fon. I-Pin- I-Pin.

Werewolves: Grandchildren are present time characters in story: Ex: Some blonde werewolf couple- Bel/Jill, Lavina's mother/G- Hayato, Colonello's grandparents- Colonello, Mammon's grandparents- Mammon.

Merpeople: Great Grandchildren are present time characters in story.

Centaurs: Grandchildren are present time characters in story. Asari Ugetsu- Takeshi

_This Chapter is Set Nine Hundred Years Ago_

_"Science" Center for Supernatural Beings- China Branch- Lab- 9:00 PM_

"Luce, you're back," Spade greeted. "How did it go?"

"Not good," Luce sighed. "We got attacked before we could harvest both fangs."

"That's fine, that's fine, we just need the one," the hunter replied. "Speaking of, that darling little blonde vampire just fell straight into my clutches. Nufufu~ I've decided not to take his fangs, but I'm forcing him to sacrifice blood in return."

"You're talking about the relative of the Hibari Clan, right?"

Daemon Spade gave a cheerful nod. "The poor little thing approached me, his hands locked in his own cuffs, and he said flat out that he wanted to become my pet! Isn't that adorable?"

"It's _fascinating_," Luce replied. "I wonder what got to him..."

"Hey, Luce," said another man, walking forward. "I'm going to take Cozart and his family out to practice morphing into merpeople. We'll need them to do so when Asari starts to hunt for merpeople."

"All right, Giotto," Luce agreed.

Spade followed Giotto as the blonde began to leave. "How do you hunt mutants?" he asked. Giotto laughed, and placed a hand on the other's shoulder.

"Not 'mutants,' Spade._ Morphs_," he explained. "If you see a creature with three or more mismatched traits, you know that it's a morph. And if you see a creature transform into a different species, it's definitely one. They're kind of hard to catch. You either need to befriend it, or trap it. And it's very hard to trap one, because they rarely eat, and switch their mode of transportation frequently."

"Huh," Spade sighed. He steered away from the path towards the 'Shimon' morphs, and instead walked into the room where he held his vampire. He walked towards the bed where the creature was curled up, and shut the door behind him. Then, he sat down on the bed beside the vampire, and gently rubbed his shoulder. The pretty, blue eyes slowly opened, and Spade smiled. "They're completely fooled," he said. "We're safe."

"Don't act like it's all fine now," Alaude murmured, sitting up. "They still want my fangs, don't they? Don't lie to me."

Spade shook his head. "Nope. I have them knowing that you belong solely to me." The blonde vampire's eyes softened.

"And your children?"

"They're going to be fine," the hunter murmured, reaching up and stroking through the blonde hair. "I'll have you and them meet before the week is up, and by next month, they should have warmed up enough to feed you, my dear."

Alaude grinned as the other man began to take off his coat and shirt, and batted his eyelashes in a false attempt to look innocent when the other moved in close. "You really want to feel my fangs, eh, Spade?" he husked. The hunter nodded, and when Alaude's long, white fangs pierced the skin on Spade's chest, the moan that Spade emitted was greedy and lustful.

"Hahh... suck harder, vampire," he husked, "c'mon, drink until you're full." Alaude groaned as the hunter's sinfully sweet blood filled his mouth, clouding his senses with pure exaltation as he forced the blood out in swallows of liquid. The vampire's throat visibly pulsed as he gulped the liquid down with hungry delight, and Spade panted, growing lightheaded as the vampire pulled his fangs down, making a deadly cut as they sliced the flesh open. The wound, which looked much like that inflicted from a knife, dripped strings of dark red liquid over the vampire's lips, and as Spade sighed at the pain, Alaude whined with needy pleasure.

Soon, however, Spade began to tremble weakly, Alaude backed off, and his now bright-red lips quirked up into a grin. "I love you so much," he husked. "Your blood is the single most wonderful element in the universe. You just wait, Spade... soon you will see, I belong to you. You possess me. You captivate me. I'm both entranced and absorbed by your amazing beauty. If I wanted to be regarded as such, I would easily become the pet, while you remain the Master. You're _delicious."_

Spade chuckled, lying down on the bed, and hugging Alaude as he did so. "You're kind," he breathed. "Too kind, for your race. Fufufu~." Alaude gave the hunter his most genuine smile, and nuzzled into the smooth, pale chest, dragging his tongue over the wound he made. As it began to heal, the vampire let out a soft purr of a noise, and Spade stroked through the blonde hair, a grin on his face as the lack of blood got the best of him.

_Crimson Forest- Japan- In the area- Meanwhile..._

"Natsukyo," said the older vampire, sitting down beside his son. "I have recieved a message from your aunt, Elena."

The young vampire looked up as he was addressed by his father's favorite alias, and leapt to his feet when he heart the name 'Elena.' "Is Fon coming over to play?" he asked, smiling brightly.

"Eh... no, son, not quite," he sighed. "Um... your uncle has left Elena to mate with a vampire _hunter_, and Fon is never to have contact with our clan again. He is going to be raised inside Elena's clan." 'Natsukyo,' or rather, Kyoya, slowly sat back down.

"Left her for a hunter?" he repeated. His father nodded.

"We believe Alaude may have lived with humans from an earlier age, hereby making him vulnerable to the rare occurence of a vampire falling for a human."

"That's gross," Hibari said, wrinkling his nose. "Why?"

"We don't know for sure, son," the older said.

Just then, a woman stepped out from the bushes, holding in her hands a wooden ball filled with something that made Kyoya's mouth water. "Honey, I have a little something for you," she said, handing the wooden utensil to her son. Kyoya happily took the cup, and smiled brightly to smell the familiar scent.

"What kind is it?" he asked.

"Griffin blood," his mother answered, wrapping an arm around his father's shoulders. "It's packed with good minerals- drink it all."

Kyoya nodded, and looked at the two small holes in the top of the ball, then, knowing what it was made for, sank his fangs into the holes, and began to suck from the small slits in his fangs, blushing lightly as the pleasant feeling overtook his young fangs.

Hibari Natsu Kyoya II was a hundred years old then, the equivalent of a five year old in human years. A vampire became sexually active in a total five hundred years, and as such, it was only four hundred years later when Hibari first bit himself. And five hundred years after that, a vampire would only gain five human years. Five hundred years after the first time, Hibari bit himself because he was ordered by his true love. He was ordered by Mukuro Rokudo. And Mukuro Rokudo was the grandson of Daemon Spade, while Daemon Spade took Hibari's uncle as his mate.

_And history is once more repeating itself._

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Were those last few lines too dramatic? :I<p>

Please Review!


	35. The Wistful

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Thirty-five: The Wistful**

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Extension of the Vampire Enclosure- 3:30 AM_

Hibari had dug his way through much of the wall, and made himself a short tunnel that led to a deeper part of the vampire enclosure. Within the rocks, it was warm, and pleasant, and the dampness coating the walls reflected the moonlight that seeped in from above, giving it a sleek, blue lighting. He had claimed the area as his personal getaway, but often let Basil in to sleep with him, for the younger vampire often had nightmares about the older leaving him, and Hibari had to take pity. It had been a week since Mukuro's leave, and already, Hibari was beginning to feel certain symptoms of Heartsickness fading. He didn't faint nearly as much, and he was able to breathe regularly most of the time. It was on that particular night that Basil was snuggled up close to him in the heated pocket in the wall, and he was slowly rasping his tongue down the other's throat, that he came to the realization that he loved Basil more than he thought.

He couldn't bite if he wanted to, as if scared of marking the beautiful flesh. He couldn't do anything other than his current activity; that gentle grooming was all that he could manage. Basil had shed his cape and shirt much earlier, leaving Hibari with his full upper body to care for. The older vampire's tongue moved in cat-like downward strokes, and Basil's sleeping face proved that the elite was successfully repelling nightmares. Hibari would often pause to gently nurse on the skin without piercing it, and he soon realized that his display was, put simply, more loving than usual.

"Hibarin," came a small voice from the entrance. Hibari glanced over, and, seeing it was Fran, moved to the side, Basil still fast asleep on his chest. "Bel and I are here," said the merman, jabbing a thumb behind him. "Should I go human form?"

"No, it's all right," Hibari said. "There's enough room. Keep the tail." Fran had previously told Hibari about the entire ordeal with Belphegor, so Hibari understood Fran's preference of remaining in his natural, merperson form. The merman and his mate both moved into the small cavern with Hibari and Basil, and Bel's ears flicked towards Hibari in acknowledgement as he entered. Fran eased himself into a sitting position, folding his tail back as he tried to keep it from being too much of a bother. "What brings you here?" Hibari asked.

Bel has a question," Fran murmured, blushing. "And since you're a good friend of mine, I decided to have him come to you about it."

Hibari repeatedly stroked his hand down Basil's back, nodding. "Go on," he offered.

"We haven't mated yet," Bel said, folding his knees close. "I want to know what I should do when I'm aroused."

"Well, why haven't you?" Hibari started, glancing back at Fran. The merman's already flushed face darkened, and he mumbled something the vampire didn't quite catch. "Hm...?"

"I'm scared," Fran squeaked, before slapping a hand over his mouth, humiliated further by the feminine noise. "Um... Bel... _water_...," Fran said to the prince. Bel gave a small frown, but nodded, and left the cave.

"You really can't stay out of water for such a short amount of time?" Hibari asked. Fran shook his head.

"I needed him to leave," he replied. "Hibarin, I'm scared. I told you what happened before my fight with Mammon, right?" The vampire nodded. "Well, I guess I'm a bit traumatized by it. Bel's _desperate_ for us to mate. I mean, _really_ desperate. The other day, I caught him sniffing around Colonello. What can I tell him? I don't want to make him take care of himself, but I can't bring myself to do it with him."

"Oh, Fran," Hibari sighed, petting the merman on the head. "You poor guy. You could help him get off, right?"

Fran bit his lip, nervous. "Well... I'm not sure... I could try... but... I don't know whether he'll go for it."

Just then, Bel came back in, cupping water in his hands, and he poured it over Fran's tail, his face serious. "You good, Fran?" he murmured.

"Yeah... thanks."

It was then that Hibari remembered that there wasn't a connection between the werewolf and vampire enclosures, and he also took note of the dampness on Bel's ears. Fran must've dragged him through the water; that poor wolf. "Bel," Hibari murmured, "would you be okay if Fran helped out, but didn't actually mate with you?"

The prince frowned, his ears drooping. "Well...," he began in a reluctant tone. "I actually... don't want to have _any_ form of sex with Fran." Hibari noticed the merman's eyes grow wide, confused, and slightly hurt.

"You don't?" Hibari asked, also suprised. After all, Bel was a very, _very_ pervy werewolf. The words that had just left his lips were difficult for either of them to comprehend, and Bel seemed to know it.

"I was raised under the concept that werewolves are horny by nature," he began, "and need to mate as much as possible to keep calm. So... my body's adapted to that." The prince blushed at the end of the sentence, and sighed, "But since I've met Mammon, Colonello, and Gokudera, I know that it's not true. That I'm not supposed to be like that. I... do want to mate with Fran, but not if it means that I'm just using him to relax."

"Bel...," Fran breathed, his eyes growing watery for a moment, before he looked away, and mumbled, "you should've talked to me about that earlier, stupid prince." Hibari smiled, and leaned in, giving Basil a small, fangless nibble on the shoulder to ensure he continued to sleep peacefully.

"Well, I'll give you two my opinion," he said. "Bel, when you do get aroused, let Fran take care of you most of the time, but not every time. Try to change your body back so that you aren't so hooked on it. I'd advise that to keep your mind off of it, you focus your attention elsewhere. Maybe try dancing, or learning more about each other's species so that you can become more affectionate with one another."

"Dancing?" Fran repeated, his eyes twinkling. "No way this guy can dance..."

"I wouldn't mind learning," Bel mumbled, his ears starting to fall even lower.

Suddenly, Hibari mewled with mixed pain and delight, for a familiar pinch on his shoulder alerted him to the fact that Basil was sleep-nursing, as vampires tended to call it. But even though it was a very sudden action, Hibari appreciated it, for it meant that he and Basil were all right. The younger had seemed tense around him sense the incident with Mukuro and was probably forgiving him by taking blood, yet, just as he wondered about it, Hibari felt something flowing down his chest, staining his clothes. "Basil...?" he breathed. He flushed red with anger and embarassment, realizing that Basil was sucking up his blood, only to spit it back out over him. "Don't waste it," he whined. "Basil, seriously... swallow... swallow it."

"No," Basil grunted. "I'm getting that man's blood out of thy divine body."

Hibari frowned, and looked back at Bel and Fran. "I'll see you two later, all right? I need to deal with this."

Not wanting to get covered in Hibari's blood, the werewolf-merman couple headed out of the tunnel, Bel picked Fran up in his arms as they moved over to the canal. "Dancing, huh?" Bel sighed. "Well... he's right that it'll... take... my mind... off of it..."

"You okay, Bel?" Fran asked, before gasping as Bel dropped him and collapsed. "Bel!"

The merman frantically shook the prince, trying to wake him back up, then realized that Bel had fainted. Confused and worried, the merman took Bel, picking him up onto his back, and bit his lip as he dove back into the water, going to carry the prince back to the werewolf enclosure.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Video Update: Working on it, even while I'm missing a couple scenes (I'll throw in some pictures of my cat to compensate). In the meantime, I have patched up my Youtube channel, and it's free for viewing. XD Even though I don't have anything up at the moment. The name is PhoenixofStarlight, my penname without spaces.<p>

Btw, just a little something I'm desperate to brag about- my orchestra group went to festivals, got unanimous superior in performance, and superior in sight reading! We got in to Regionals! :D

Please Review!


	36. The Neglected

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Thirty-six: The Neglected**

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Centaur Enclosure- 9:00 AM_

Byakuran was in love.

It wasn't as sudden of a development as it seemed, but to Byakuran, the discovery came as fast as his hooves could beat the ground. As the leader of the centaurs, and as the strongest and most beautiful of the centaurs, he had realized that he was also the least loved. He began to daydream, and to watch his fellows with his sharp, amethyst eyes, watching how the muscles moved, watching how they interacted with each other and with other species. He watched Hayato and Takeshi, how the centaur played with his mate; he watched Ryohei and Lussuria, how that tamer fawned over him; and the new development that was the most intresting, he watched Lambo and Reborn. Byakuran hadn't seen Reborn come out into the pasture before at all, but now, visits seemed regular. And sometimes, he caught Lambo blushing around that tamer. And then, Byakuran realized that he wasn't the only one without a mate.

There was a centaur with a white pelt, covered in black spots, and long, wavy teal hair. Byakuran's good friend, Kikyo. The more Byakuran saw those sandy tan hooves beat against the ground; or that decorated pelt twitch and writhe with the muscle beneath; or the bright, blue eyes that shone in the sunlight; the more attracted he became to the other centaur. But he wasn't very fond of this new development. Byakuran wanted to find a beautiful pega-taur mare or stallion to become his mate. Not... well... not Kikyo.

It was on one particular day, however, that Byakuran's loneliness got the best of him. He trotted up to Kikyo, and the other centaur instantly bowed, his front knees touching the grass as his human half bowed low. Byakuran took a moment to gaze at the raised hindquarters revealed to him, licked his lips, and reached down, before placing his hands on the other's shoulders. "Stand up, Kikyo," he said softly. The centaur shakily rose back up, and bit his lip.

"Yes, my Lord Byakuran?" he breathed. Byakuran stepped forward, and took each of Kikyo's hands in his own, moving closer until his forehooves were right next to Kikyo's.

"Today, just call me Byakuran," the halfbreed said in a gentle tone, before leaning in. He brought himself right up to Kikyo's lips, his eyes closed, and he lingered there for a moment, his body screaming for him to go farther, his head screaming to move forward. But he couldn't bring himself to make the final move. He began to back up, but he realized that he couldn't move. He wanted to kiss Kikyo. He'd seen it occur so many times before between couples, and he wanted to have that comfort for himself. He couldn't back off, nor could he couldn't move forward, but Kikyo could. The centaur leaned up just slightly, and Byakuran closed his eyes tightly as their lips touched. He was stunned by the movement even further, but somehow, he was able to regain his mobility. He wrapped his arms around Kikyo's human waist, and brought him closer, making the contact of their lips more forceful. The hybrid soon backed up, however, his face dusted red, and he whispered, "Kikyo, I..."

"I love you," Kikyo breathed, looking away. "Byakuran, I'm sorry, but I love you. I know you hate crossbreeding of any sort. I know you don't like me in that way. I know, all right? But... please... just this once... let me have the moment..." The appaloosa turned, and started to walk away, but Byakuran wouldn't have it. He grabbed on to the teal tail, and roughly yanked it back, making a yelp of pain pass through the lips which had just kissed him. Byakuran then gave the other's flank what was meant to be a flirty slap, but it made Kikyo whirl around and rear up. "Don't!" he cried. His hooves hit the ground once more, and he shouted, "Spare my feelings, Byakuran! You idiot!" The hybrid stared as Kikyo galloped away, shocked by the reaction, then, knowing that he needed to beat his wings and cool off, he moved to the back of the pasture and lied down.

Lambo soon trotted over, and lied down in front of the other halfbreed, his face nervous. "Byakuran?" he murmured.

"Yes, Lambo?" Byakuran sighed.

"Try being gentle with him," Lambo suggested. "I know how you feel about Kikyo. I can see it in your eyes."

Byakuran frowned. "Mind your own business, you damned stupid cow," he said, his voice laced with venom.

Lambo's expression instantly fell, and he stood back up, then walked away. Little did Byakuran know or care that the other hybrid was on the verge of tears.

_Meanwhile, in the vampire enclosure..._

Hibari sighed, fastening his belt, and grabbing his shirt. "You all right, Basil?" he sighed. The younger vampire nodded, and also stood, although he was slightly unsteady on his legs.

"Thanks," he sighed. "I guess."

Hibari watched, his eyes pitying the younger vampire as he limped away, and he blushed, reaching down and brushing a hand over his waist. He was sad that Basil's current envious state deprived him of his love, making him come to Hibari only to mate out of sense of duty- whether it was through blood exchange, or the type of mating that they had just recovered from.

"Cousin," Fon greeted, walking up to Hibari. "Come to the hunting area. A werewolf wants a word."

"All right," Hibari grunted, following Fon out to the hunting area, where Mammon waited at the door. "Mammon?" Hibari greeted. "What's up?"

"I need help," the werewolf whimpered.

"If it's about Bel, then I'm sorry to say that I supported Fran from the beginning," Hibari said. Mammon's ears fell at the mention of a particularly tender topic, and he bit his lip, steeling himself to speak again.

"Rasiel wants to take me," he murmured.

"Rasiel?" Hibari repeated. "Bel's brother, right?" The indigo-haired werewolf nodded. "So what do you need my help for?" Hibari asked.

"Should I let him become my mate?" Mammon asked, trying to resist his urge to tuck his tail between his legs as shyness overcame him. "I mean, werewolves are typically monogamous, but when their mate is lost..."

"Forget tradition, Mammon," Hibari said, reaching out. He placed his hand on the werewolf's chest, and murmured, "You need to go with what your heart craves."

Mammon blushed, and moved his hand up, placing it over Hibari's. "My heart, huh?" he sighed. "How do you listen to your heart when your mind wants to block it all out?"

"It'll take a while," Hibari replied, his eyes glinting with the rememberance of a time where he asked himself that same question. "It'll work for you eventually though, I'm sure." Mammon sighed, and gave a nod of agreement, before taking a single step back.

"I'll be back in the enclosure," he sighed. "Thank you for your time."

Hibari sighed as the werewolf left, and walked over to the pond where Basil was fishing. "Hey, Basil," he murmured. "Do you still love me?"

"I will always love thee, Lord Hibarin, that's how true love works," Basil replied in a cold tone. "Just like how your true love belongs to Mukuro Rokudo." Hibari leaned in, and gave his mate a kiss on the cheek.

"I love you, too," he protested. "You're sweet, and cute, and you're a wonderful mate. I can't say the same about Mukuro." Basil's face turned color, but he didn't respond, giving Hibari permit to continue. "I love Mukuro because he's so bonded with me through his blood. He can be cute, and he can be kind, but more often, he chooses not to." Basil sighed.

"My Lord, I wish not to have this coversation," he replied. "I love thee as much as thou lovest the beauty of roses. I love thee as much as a merperson lovest the water. I love thee so much that I would readily die without thee."

Hibari hung his head. "I apologize for my earlier actions." Basil sighed, and came in, then bit down on Hibari's shoulder, giving gentle sucking noises as he drank. Hibari was relieved to find that the younger vampire was swallowing his blood, yet at the same time, a certain guilt welled up inside him to find that he had been betraying the younger for so long. As he closed his eyes, a smile crossed the elite vampire's face, and he whispered, "I love you, Basil."

And he knew that Basil loved him too.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Please Review!<p> 


	37. The Recovering

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Thirty-seven: The Recovering**

_Broken Down Science Center For Supernatural Beings- China- Worn Down Morph Enclosure- 4:00 PM_

Mukuro sighed as he walked into the old, abandoned enclosure, and ran his fingers through his hair. "Mm... what to do~," he hummed. "To think this place used to be so magnificent. I wonder if I can find trace of my grandfather somewhere..." He walked deeper into the enclosure, and smiled as he saw the griffin nests in the walls, and the merperson ponds around the place. Broken glass decorated the ground, hinting at a rebellion. "I did hear that the tamers decided to shoot all of their morphs... I wonder why... mm..." Suddenly, a small shuffling noise caught Mukuro's attention, and he turned to see a young person with red hair and eyes, hooves for feet, and feathers in his hair. "Oya oya? It seems as though one survived... what's your name, young morph?"

The other blinked slowly, and whispered, "Enma."

_Meanwhile, in the SCSB Japan Branch, Merpeople Enclosure..._

Squalo headed through the tunnel to the deepest, darkest part of the Science Center, ready to head back now that he had re-adjusted to the water temperature, and helped out Fran. As he slid on to the rocks, however, he found Xanxus, free of his enclosure, a dangerous look in his eyes. "You've been a long time," the vampire hissed. "Were you playing about with Dino? Huh? Be honest or I'll kill you!" Squalo stepped back, uncertain, then gasped as Xanxus rushed at him and pinned him to the wall. "I'll give you three seconds before I bite," he hissed.

"Xanxus, I never did anything!" Squalo shouted. "I was getting used to the merpeople tank again! I never did anything with the tamer!" Xanxus hissed, and sank his fangs into Squalo's shoulder, making the merman squirm about with the pain. Squalo closed his eyes, shuddering as Xanxus bit him, although he himself wasn't sure if it was the pain or the pleasure that made him do so.

"Xanxus...," he breathed. "I would never betray you... you know that..." The bite became a little less harsh as Squalo said so, but Xanxus didn't stop. He was pissed off. He hadn't seen Squalo in almost a week, and he remembered too vividly the antics of Dino as he took the merman away. Xanxus would have no more. He backed off only after drinking himself full, and then, he kissed his mate with passion. The vampire would never admit it, but Squalo was his one and only true love, and the thought of him cheating was one with which Xanxus could not cope. Squalo belonged to him- and him alone.

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Observation Area- 6:00 PM<em>

"Dino," began one of the girls, leaning against the rock wall. "You mentioned something about vampire fangs being used as a form of mating. Could you explain that?"

"Of course~," Dino hummed. "See, when vampires exchange blood, they're transferring their DNA into each other. When the blood enters the stomach, it's absorbed immediately by the bloodstream. The vampires all strive to pass their blood into every other vampire- it's more or less their dream."

"Tamer," Hibari greeted, walking up to the fence. "I want to-"

"Does he have a mate?" asked the girl. Dino sighed.

"Yes, uh- everyone, this is Hibarin, one of the vampires. Hibarin, would you mind helping me demonstrate something again?"

"Depends," Hibari said simply. "What would said demonstration be?"

"Call Basil over, would you?" Dino requested. The vampire sighed, and turned around.

"Hey, Basil!" he called. The younger vampire took one look at the other, and shook his head. Hibari considered his options. "Fon?" he called. "Help?" The older ravenette walked over, and bowed.

"Yes?" he asked. Hibari looked back to Dino.

"Is this all right?" he asked.

"Yeah, I guess," Dino sighed. "Demonstrate a blood exchange?" Hibari's eyes narrowed.

"Humans make me sick," he grunted. He looked at Fon. "This okay with you?"

Fon nodded, and took his cousin's hand. "Do you want to bite?"

"No, you go ahead," Hibari replied, moving his head to the side. Fon came in and bit down on the other's shoulder, and Hibari gave a slow blink, moving his hand up and combing it through the other's hair. He looked at Dino with hazy, lustful eyes, and the tamer blushed, his eyes moving to the pulse of Fon's throat. The red smear above Hibari's eyes seemed invisible when faced with the crimson droplets that leaked past Fon's lips, and the elite's fangs were exposed as he gave a light pant, gleaming dangerously, but in a sensual way. Fon backed off after a fairly short amount of time, however, leaving the observers flushed- Dino included.

"Well, there you have it!" Dino said, clasping his hands together. "Who's ready to go see the merpeople?"

"Dino," Hibari said, his eyes glinting. "I had a request."

"Oh, all right," Dino said, uncertain. "Did you want to help with the centaurs?"

"Actually, I intended to see the merpeople," Hibari replied. "There's a new one, yes?"

"Yeah," the tamer agreed. "All right, then." He lifted the gate, and clipped a leash to the hunter-metal collar around the vampire's neck, before leading him out. "This is perfectly safe, everyone. This vampire is tamed." Hibari stretched as the gate closed behind him, noting to himself the fact that he hadn't been out of the enclosure in a long time. Hibari was glad to be back out- it felt good to walk on free land- even though he wasn't entirely free. As he, Dino, and the observers ascended the stone stairs, he smiled, reaching up, and brushing his fingers on the two puncture wounds on his throat. Hibari looked out into the merpeople tank, however, noticing that it seemed rather... empty.

"Where is everyone?" he asked.

"Squalo is visiting with Xanxus, and Fran is probably with Bel," Dino replied, before calling, "Fuuta!" A young merman with tan hair and a dolphin tail the same color surfaced, and the blue-haired mermaid Bluebell also surfaced. Hibari, however, was only intrested in Fuuta, and Dino handed him a bucket of fish, sitting down on the ledge to also feed Bluebell. The vampire looked at Fuuta, and held out a fish, his gray eyes glinting cautiously.

"Do you eat it whole like this, young one?" he asked. Fuuta took the fish in his hands, nodding, and downed it in one gulp, making Hibari shudder in repulsion. However, being one to not judge the customs of other creatures, Hibari soon gave the young one another.

"Well, everyone, this is how they're able to swallow so easily," Dino began as he tossed a fish into the air. Bluebell leapt out of the air, and the observers clapped as she caught the fish in the air, before landing gracefully back in the water. As Hibari groaned from the splash he received, he noticed a certain look on Fuuta's face, and he smirked. He leaned in, and quietly told the merman that he had his eyes on a beautiful mermaid, to which Fuuta nodded shyly. "Their throats are almost elastic," Dino said. "They can swallow a whole fish up to a foot long and two inches around. This quality helps them to eat and be easily satisfied, because usually, merpeople don't have enough to eat in the wild."

"What about the bones? And diseases?" someone asked.

"Merpeople have very strong stomachs," Dino replied. "They can usually break down very strong materials. However, merpeople hunters often take advantage of-"

"Ahem~!" Dino turned to see that Lussuria had stepped up, and he gave a slight bow, before taking a step back. Lussuria reached down, and took a hold of Bluebell's hand, then pulled her up until only the end of her tail was in the water. He placed his hand on Bluebell's stomach, then indicated to a white scar over it. "Now, everyone, I'm the merpeople and centaur hunter. This scar on Bluebell's stomach was indeed made by me, but don't get the wrong impression." He eased her back into the water, and explained, "Dear Bluebell had swallowed a fishing hook. Usually, this isn't a problem. In most cases, their stomach is capable of destroying it. However, this fishing hook was made out of a very strong metal- and one that's also toxic to merpeople. I was the one to help get it out of her, and I'm proud to tell the tale today. Unfortunately, due to that accident, Bluebell often has stomach pain, and she has to rest more often than the rest of the merpeople. And for a long time, she was also unable to speak."

"Fufu~ I've been getting better, though!" Bluebell laughed, doing a flip under the water. "How about you tell them about Fran? Fuu~ It would definitely be intresting."

"Oh, I don't know, hun...," Lussuria sighed. "Fran's a more shameful story."

"Come on, Luss, let's hear it," Dino said with a sly grin. "I'm sure it'll be fun."

Lussuria sighed, and stepped back, before leaning against the wall. "Well, Fran was one of those troublemaking merpeople who capsizes boats and drowns people. So I was ordered to get a harpoon and take care of him." The majority of people in the area gasped. "But when he surfaced, intending to capsize the boat, I couldn't bring myself to kill him. So I netted him, and took him back here... but I must admit that I am not at all proud of my rough behavior towards him."

As everyone looked about themselves, nodding with agreement, Hibari sighed, giving Fuuta one last fish. "You have a thing for Bluebell?" he asked. Fuuta blushed, and swallowed the last fish, disappearing under the surface in favor of answering. Hibari smiled as he did so, then stood, looking back at Dino. "Where are we going next?"

Dino chuckled, "Centaur enclosure. Could you go get Hayato? He should be hunting with the werewolves right now."

The vampire grinned. "All right, how do I work the computers?"

"Easy as can be, just pull the lever for the gate up, and the gate will be lifted. ... I can trust you, right?" Dino said. The elite nodded, and walked back to the observation area, letting the leash slip out of Dino's grasp. He stalked over to the observation area, and called for Hayato, saying that he could join him for the centaurs. The silverette bounded up to the gate, his emerald eyes shining, and Hibari laughed, before glancing back to the computers.

"All right," he sighed. "This must be it." He pulled the lever, and Hayato slipped out from beneath the gate. As Hibari closed the gate once more, he noticed a leather collar around the silverette's neck. "I imagine I'm meant to leash you."

"Che! Forget that, vampire. Let's just go," Hayato replied. Hibari reluctantly nodded, and he moved up to the centaur enclosure with Hayato, playing with his own leash in irritation. As he and Hayato at last stopped at the entrance of the enclosure, Dino leaned over and unclipped the binding material from Hibari's own collar, before opening the gate. Lussuria had followed to the centaur enclosure, and Ryohei cantered up to him, rearing up as he slid to a stop. Hibari and Hayato watched, suprised, as Lussuria swept in, taking a hold on the other's forehoofs, and leaning in, kissing one, before letting him down and embracing the centaur.

"I missed you, hun~," he cooed.

"I also missed you- extremely!" Ryohei announced. The tamer laughed, and stroked his hand down the other's long spine, before leading him to the back of the enclosure. Meanwhile, Hibari took notice of an... odd character in the area. It was the head of the science center, Reborn, hanging out with the hybrid bull-centaur, Lambo. However, Hibari brushed it off, taking notice of a certain distraught pegataur. He approached the white halfbreed, and knelt down beside him, sighing as Byakuran glared at him.

You all right?" he asked. "You look... well... pissed off about something."

"Indeed," the other replied. "Romance trouble. You wouldn't understand." Hibari arched a brow.

"Talk," he ordered. "I'm full of romance trouble."

Byakuran sighed, and held up his wing, coaxing the vampire into a tender, feathery embrace, and Hibari obediently slid in beside him, ready for a story. "Well, I've got a crush on Kikyo," he sighed. "And I guess he's not as wild as I am."

"Hardly anyone is," Hibari answered, leaning back against the hybrid's side. "What happened?"

"Mm... we kissed," Byakuran said. "He thought I didn't actually like him, though, and when he tried to walk away, I grabbed his tail, and gave him a little friendly slap to say that we're all right."

_"'A little friendly slap'?"_ Hibari chuckled. "You need help." Byakuran glared at the vampire, but Hibari only smirked, his silvery eyes glinting with mischief. "Tell you what, Byakuran. I'll work with you to get Kikyo on your side. What do you say?" Byakuran sighed, sweeping his wing over Hibari, and letting it heal the bite wounds that decorated the vampire's body. Hibari closed his eyes. "Good choice."

_(Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Entrance to Centaur enclosure- 7:00 PM)_

"Centaurs are beautiful creatures," Dino said, leaning back on the fence. "As you can tell, they're also rather friendly, and easily become acquainted with other species. Centaurs being halfbreeds themselves, they very often crossbreed, which is why Byakuran was born with wings, and Lambo born a bull-centaur cross."

"But how can they do that? How's it possible?" one asked.

"Centaurs are... well, pretty tolerant when it comes to their mates, shortly put," Dino said, grinning with slight embarassment. "Although, Byakuran, being part pegasus, has the purity trait, and is likely not to crossbreed. He may become Kikyo's mate." The observers continued to watch as the centaurs were tended to both by tamers and other creatures, and everyone had their eyes on Takeshi and Hayato as the two started to get particularly close.

The reason for this closeness was that they were sharing personal information. Takeshi was telling the werewolf about his childhood, and about his father, one of the few centaurs to learn how to use a sword, and even rarer- a centaur that worked in a sushi restaurant. It sounded as though the ebony-pelted centaur had enjoyed a very comical upbringing, and Hayato wished he could say the same.

"So what were your parents like?" Takeshi questioned at last. Hayato could've bawled his eyes out like a pup then and there hadn't it been for his pride. With a heavy heart, the werewolf reluctantly began his story.

_Howling Woods- Italy- Four-hundred Ninety Years Ago..._

Hayato was just a werewolf pup, only thirty years old, the human equivalent of a two year old. His mother, Lavina, was a beautiful werewolf, appreciated by many, until she and Hayato's father became mates. The big deal was that Hayato's father had already taken a mate before Lavina, and had a pup with her, however, when she died, the werewolf decided to take Lavina in a heartbeat. Such a move was one that no werewolf would approve of- it was a forbidden thing to take a new mate before at the least spending a month to mourn the deceased mate's death. It was considered lowly, underhanded, and sly to switch mates.

With his birth, Hayato Gokudera was dubbed 'the mistake pup,' and he didn't appreciate it. His older sister, Bianchi, the werewolf who specialized in skilled hunting, had been attacked by a naga, and venom from the snake hybrid had caused her prey to become poisonous. Thankfully, the venom was absorbed and tolerated by her body- otherwise, she may have died from the attack.

Hayato's father was a werewolf who loved Lavina very much- even though those who never saw the relationship weren't convinced. The two werewolves specialized in musical performance; Lavina had learned to play the piano at a young age, and would often sneak into human villages with a hat to hide her ears and a long coat to hide her tail. There, she would perform, her fingers dancing across the keys, creating the most beautiful of melodies, and making the instrument sing with her amazing talent. On days that she performed, unknown to her, her mate, too, would sneak into town, in less of a disguise, and listen to her playing just outside the building. Because of this, villagers started taking notice of him, and eventually, they sent out demand to have him caught and brought to the recently founded SCSB- dead or alive. The older werewolf wasn't aware of this development, however, and as he began to take his pups along with him, he was captured.

Lavina was devistated when she found out what had happened, and that night, she hugged her two pups close, and told them that she would never endanger them again. And, just as she'd promised, they never returned to the village to play the piano. Unfortunately, hunters soon crossed into Howling Woods, and began to capture werewolves left and right. Bianchi and Lavina were caught as well. Hayato avoided capture by shifting his tail into his trousers and keeping it perfectly still, while keeping his ears flat, and using his hair to cover them. While his appearance seemed comical, he had grown into a very serious young werewolf. In the time that it took for his family to be captured, he had grown to the human equivalent of eight years, and he began to search for survival assistance. After all, no werewolf would dare take him due to his reputation, and he had already grown so deeply rooted in his thirst for vengence against the humans that he only wanted to stay with one of them. To learn their secrets and weaknesses... to wedge himself in among them, then, like any werewolf, strike! He would be crowned as royalty- see if they laugh at him then!

Young Hayato stayed back at that place with the piano, teaching himself to play as beautifully as his mother. And on the first night that he performed, a boy about his age walked up to him, and asked if he had a place to stay. That boy was Tsunayoshi Sawada, visiting his grandfather Giotto's grave.

As Hayato closed the most of his story that he was comfortable with talking about, he began to tear up, remembering the day that he had been shipped into captivity at the SCSB, briefly reuniting with his family before Tsunayoshi couldn't stay any longer. At that point, he was taken to the Science Center for Supernatural Beings in Japan, and there he would stay... trapped. Never getting his vengence.

The werewolf looked up at Takeshi, his ears flat as the first tear began to roll down his cheek, the centaur reached out, and embraced him, murmuring, "It's all right, Hayato... I'm here..." Hayato moved his hand to the beginning of the ebony fur, and brushed his hand over the shoulder of the other's left forehoof, his tail limp as he tried to recover from the pain of recalling his childhood. "Can you still play the piano?" Takeshi asked. Hayato shrugged.

"I dunno... I'd probably be rusty, but I bet I could...," he mumbled.

"Get on my back," Takeshi ordered, pushing the werewolf towards the horse half of his body. Hayato hesitantly moved on to the strong backside, and Takeshi shuffled around as the werewolf made imself comfortable. The moment those pale arms wrapped around Takeshi's waist, the centaur trotted around the enclosure, his dark tail swishing over his back in a graceful arc. "I wish I could take you my dad's sushi place," the centaur murmured. "There was a piano there..."

Hayato sighed, resting his head against the centaur's shoulder. "There's only one way to be freed from this place," he pointed out. Takeshi smiled, reaching behind him to run his hand over one of the werewolf's legs.

"I'm cool with that," he rasped. The werewolf blushed in reply, and closed his eyes.

"Idiot," he murmured.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>This uber-long chapter is brought to you by- those who still review. Last week had maybe 3 reviews on a double-upload week... and if you want more chapters like this, reviews are essential. I'll just go back to the usual chapter length if I don't get many reviews! :)<p>

Review if you want another one of these!


	38. The Equal

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Thirty-eight: The Equal**

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Werewolf Enclosure- 6:00 PM_

"Shouldn't you go out and hunt?" Rasiel sighed, sitting beside the werewolf who was curled up in his nest in an indigo and black lump. "You haven't eaten since yesterday morning..."

"I'm not hungry," Mammon replied, flicking his tail so that it made the blonde werewolf back up a little. "Go 'way."

Rasiel sighed, and stood up. "All right. Mourn the loss of your mate for a while longer. I'll bring you some fish, all right?" After receiving no reply, Jill headed on his way to the hunting area, leaving Mammon alone. Just a few moments after he left, however, Colonello walked in, leading Fon into the werewolf enclosure. It was forbidden for any werewolf to ever bring a vampire into their enclosure- plus, considering the rivalry across the two species, it was just plain dumb. But Fon had made an effort to fit in, using some scraps of black cloth from his cousin's cape to create makeshift ears and a tail, which he managed to stick to his body with sap from the growing tree in his enclosure. Seeing all the effort Fon had put into his disguise, Colonello led him into the werewolf enclosure, and the two of them rested in the small, makeshift bed that the army werewolf had made.

"Hey, Fon," Colonello murmured, smiling as the vampire's lips closed around his neck. "As much as I want to let you drink until you blow up, I have a question, dammit."

"Hm? What would that be?" Fon breathed, looking up at the werewolf with his soulful, black gaze.

"How did it happen that they captured you?" Colonello asked.

"Well... I wasn't exactly captured," Fon replied. "I gave myself to them, as well as I-Pin."

"Gave? Why?" Colonello asked, his blue stare widened.

"They asked for two vampires. There were papers all over the forest warning us that if two didn't come to them, they'd take us themselves. I offered myself to them, feeling that my single fang made me unworthy to live among my own kind when another has been stolen away. I told I-Pin to run, but she didn't listen to me. We were captured by a young girl with blue hair and soft eyes- beautiful, beautiful eyes. That's the most I remember of her, but I do remember that she was very kind. I think she was distantly related to the infamous vampire hunter Daemon Spade..."

"How do you figure?"

"Her name was Daemon Muroki," Fon said. Colonello gasped.

"That's practically a scramble of Mukuro, dammit! Bet she was his mother, dammit!"

"Hm, perhaps so...," Fon sighed. "I never did meet her husband."

"Probably split," the werewolf answered. "Humans never remain loyal to each other."

Fon nodded, before looking back at the werewolf's throat. His dark eyes were filled with hunger that he could only feel for Colonello, and as the werewolf lifted his head, granting permission, Fon snapped down on the throat, and filled his mouth with the sweet blood. His one true fang was dyed red with blood, his false doing it's job flawlessly, and as Fon and Colonello enjoyed the pleasure each other brought, the two bodies became one.

And together, they fell asleep, their mouths glued together as if they never wished to part.

_Later, in the Lab..._

"Spanner," Chrome called, walking forward. "I've at last finished the Heartsickness supplement to treat werewolves. It should also work on vampires."

"All right, let me see," Spanner said, taking the tablet from the girl. He placed a piece of it beneath his microscope, already knowing precisely what the medicine would have to look like, for he had already run several tests. After a thorough inspection, he handed it back to her. "Make more," he said. "Then give these to the werewolves too, and vampires, too. Make a stronger one for centaurs, dissolve it in water so that we can give it to the merpeople."

"Then... it's...?"

Spanner grinned around his strawberry lollipop. "You did it."

"Do my ears decieve me?" Tsuna sighed, walking into the room. "Or is it another failure?"

"Your ears decieve you!" Shoichi announced, standing upright. "Chrome's done it!"

"She has?" Tsuna gasped, looking to her. Chrome gave a shy grin in return, and Tsuna smiled for the first time in a while, before swooping in and hugging her. He passed the embrace to Spanner, and Irie Shoichi as well, announcing, "We're going to be rich! And we'll finally be able to build a bigger tank for the merpeople, and a bigger pasture for the centaurs!"

"Better than that, Tsuna!" Shoichi announced. "We're going to be able to expand into Crimson Forest! All of the creatures are going to have space to interact! We'll even be able to let the vampires and werewolves hunt at the same time, now! And as for observers, we could let them watch from overhead passages! I can see it now!"

"Not just that," Dino said, stepping into the lab. "We'll be able to cure everyone of Heartsickness." The tamer explained to everyone that the disease had taken the route that he knew it would, and that Fuuta was showing signs of it, as well. "Luckily, Hayato has not caught it, and he isn't likely to. That means that the centaurs are safe."

"I will develop more pills right away!" Chrome announced, before returning to her work. Tsuna smiled, and looked back at Dino.

"Well, since you've told us a secret, I think I ought to share one with you," he said. "Rather, I can't hold it any longer."

"What would that be, Tsuna?" Dino asked.

"The Rokudo Clan's blood is tainted," Tsuna said. "Mukuro's grandfather, Daemon Spade, allowed his second mate, a vampire named Alaude, to drink the blood of his children. Daemon Muroki and Suno both had vampire blood infused within their own, which gave them the instinct to kill- which they directed towards the kind that contaminated their blood- the vampires."

"So then, what does this have to do with you?" Dino asked. Tsuna blushed lightly, and wrung his hands together.

"For a short amount of time, I was best friends with Suno. He was slowly developing vampiric fangs when I met him. His sister, Muroki, met her husband some time while I was hanging out with Suno, but the second that his sister's husband found out that she was pregnant, there was an uproar. I'm not sure why, though. Muroki's husband left, and the moment he found out, Suno went berserk." The brown-haired boy pulled back the collar of his shirt, to reveal fading fang marks in his neck. "For some reason, Suno's body turned into that of a vampire. His canines grew into fangs. Then, he bit me. And even though he was my best friend, it was then that I took the liberty to shoot him with my grandfather's vampire hunting gun, because I knew it's what Suno- my friend, Suno- would have wanted. ... Everyone, I'm not two hundred years old."

"How old are you, then?" Spanner asked. Tsuna swallowed.

"In two years, I will be six hundred."

Everyone stared at Tsuna, stunned, but they understood that the vampire DNA mixed into his body had caused him to live much longer than normal. It was rare for a human to surpass three hundred and fifty years! To be nearly six hundred years of age was, put simply, a phenomenon. "But Tsuna," Shoichi began, uncertain. "How do you feel about that?"

"What do you mean?" Tsuna asked.

"A vampire more or less gave you your current life," Shoichi said. "You're going to live longer than any of us- probably just over a thousand years. And now, you're helping in the movement to capture vampires and..." He trailed off, looking pained.

"What movement?" Tsuna asked. "I just heard that we were going to learn about them... right?"

"The winds have changed," said Spanner. "If we can manage to immunize vampires to Heartsickness... er... eventually, they're going to be sold into slavery." Tsuna's eyes grew wide.

"Since when was this a plan?" he asked.

"Since they've begun to willingly help out the human race," Spanner sighed. "Look, I don't like it, Shoichi doesn't like it, hardly anyone here does. But human labor- even machine labor- is unbelievably expensive these days, and vampires are... well, they're plentiful." Tsuna shook his head, then looked to Dino.

"Dino? What do you think?"

"I think this is a damn stupid idea!" Dino shouted, stepping forward. "There is nothing- mind you, nothing subspecies about vampires! They're beautiful creatures with human-like forms who just happen to be unable to control their instincts! What's next, are we going to start riding through the streets on centaurs? Or turning merpeople into lifeguards at the beach? Hell, next, the werewolves are going to be in dog shows! I thought it had already been decided that we couldn't do this to them!"

"It's not our plan," Spanner said, leaning back in his chair. "You've gotten it, too, right? Observers wanting to purchase the creatures here?"

"And I tell them that the lives of these beautiful creatures are most certainly not for sale!" Dino cried. "If this happens, guys, I'm going to quit. I don't care what happens to my life or yours. I just care that these creatures get the respect they deserve." With that, he stormed back to the door, but Tsuna lunged forward and grabbed his arm.

"What are you doing?" he asked. Dino tore his arm away.

"Look, Tsuna, I love you like a brother. But I feel the same way for the vampires. I'm going to tell them."

"You'll just hurt them," Shoichi murmured. Dino glared at him.

"I would be even more hurt to find out I'd been betrayed," he hissed, before leaving the lab and striding back through the center. All his life, Dino had thought of vampires as being equals. As creatures that were right up to par with the human race. They had memory, they could speak and read, they even occasionally romanced each other in the same ways as humans! Dino walked over to the small cage that had been the original enclosure, then unlocked it, and stepped inside. He locked the door behind him, knowing he was the only one who could open and close it without Mukuro there, and he moved into the vampire enclosure. There, he saw a sight that he had only seen a couple times before- a group blood-share. Hibari, Basil, Fon and Skull were huddled together in the center of the enclosure, drinking each other's blood in an almost mindless manner. Dino had not remembered this sight as vivid as it now appeared- the blood seeping down their chins, and the lust in their eyes as they devoured each other. They were already slaves to their own instincts, he realized. Nevertheless, Dino was a brave one, and he slowly, carefully approached Hibari, then placed a hand on his back. "Hibarin-," he began, but he had made a mistake. Immediately, he was yanked into the center, and he saw the overwhelming bloodlust in each of the vampires as they looked over him. The tamer gulped, shutting his eyes tightly as a few droplets of blood seeped out of Skull's mouth, landing on his cheek. And as the deadly fangs of four vampires came close to him, the only thing he could manage was a scream of terror.

_(A/N: This is where I would close the chapter usually, but I decided to reward you guys for some excellent reviews! No cliffy this week:D)_

Reborn heard the scream as he passed by the vampire enclosure, but he only stopped for a moment. As he began to walk again, a slow smirk crossed his face. It was about time that tamer learned his lesson, he thought, and he also believed that Dino needed to wake up. A vampire and a human were drastically different. Humans had free will, while vampires always submitted to their instincts. Vampires were lesser beings. But then, he himself had grown attatched to a centaur, and as Reborn recalled that fact, he grew irritated. That was different, in his opinion. They would not develop a romantic relationship.

_The following morning..._

Dino's eyelids felt heavy and weak as he lifted them. His clothes had been torn in several places, but luckily, certain intimate areas were still untouched. In places where the skin was exposed, bite marks could be found; little puncture wounds here and there to remind Dino that he had survived quite the incident. The tamer was already in a sitting up position, and he noticed with suprise that he was not alone. Hibari and Basil were snuggled up close to his left side, Fon and Skull on his right. As he moved his hand over one of their shoulders, he determined that he was not angry for what had taken place. He remembered how the fangs had pierced his skin in several places, and also did he remember that those fangs didn't hurt at all- not for a second. Dino knew that a vampire tried to bite only where it wouldn't hurt, but he didn't think that that law also applied to humans. With this information, he concluded that vampires believed humans to be their equals.

That note brought the other memories of last night flooding forth. How the scientists had told him about selling their vampires into slavery. Dino's eyes began to water as he looked from Basil's innocent sleeping face, to Skull's hardened, stern expression, and he whispered, "I'll protect you, don't worry..." Hibari's eyes opened as the tamer spoke, and the vampire heaved a tremendous yawn that displayed the fangs that had been polished white even after such a bloody night.

"Dino...," he rasped, looking at the tamer. Realization washed over the vampire, and he apologized, bowing his head several times. In reply, Dino silently rubbed the vampire's back, shaking his head and giving a weak smile.

"It's all right," he breathed. "You, Basil, Fon, and Skull... I've always wanted to help you. But I'm sad to say that this isn't going to be much help for you."

"What are you talking about, Dino?" asked Fon, before breaking into a yawn just as his cousin had. "You have some delicious blood, if I might say so myself."

"Wake up, everyone," Dino sighed, sitting upright and nudging Basil and Skull awake. The two drowsily opened their eyes, and Dino reluctantly began, although he was a bit uncomfortable with the four creatures brushing against him and breathing down his neck. "I was speaking to the scientists yesterday, and something horrid has been discovered."

"The hunter art at last kilst?" Basil asked.

"Uh, no, no news of Mukuro," Dino sighed. "It's worse. You guys could be sold into slavery to work for the humans." The vampires stared at Dino, momentarily stunned, and Hibari stood up, then stalked over to the entrance. He looked back at Dino.

"You could free us," he said.

"Uh- no, no, no, you see, that's not possible," Dino said, putting his hands up in a defensive position. "If I were to release you all, you'd spread the Heartsickness and..." Suddenly, Dino remembered that they had developed a cure. "Well... um... actually..." He looked around. These creatures... he loved each and every one of them. Not just them, either, the werewolves, the merpeople, the centaurs... All of them were his precious friends.

_One hundred and fifty years ago... Whistle Mountain (Cave)- Italy- 5:00 P.M._

Young Dino was twenty years old, (imagine a five year old- sorry, I know it's confusing...) and he lived in a mountain cave with his family of six. His adopted mother was a blonde werewolf whose pups had already left to become hunters. One of said pups were Colonello, who had enlisted in an army so that he could enjoy an action packed life. His adopted father was a vampire named Don Enzio Cavallone the First, whose alias was used as inspiration for that of Dino's pet turtle, Enzio. (A/N: I just picked up the name 'Don' somewhere... I think it's just another name for Dino, but it works, right?)

His adopted sister, Mari, was a cow-centaur, and his adopted brother, Aki, was a merman. Growing up in this mixture of species naturally made Dino comfortable around him. After all, his mother was a warm body to sleep beside at night, and his father refused to drink the blood of any in his family. His brother and sister were fun to play with- sometimes, Mari would have enough energy to let him ride her, and Aki would occassionally swim with him during the summer. The creatures were always there beside him to support and help him... but one day, that all changed.

A man showed up. Tall, lean, a man whose eyes were hid by a fedora. In his hand was a pistol- the weapon that stole Dino's beloved family. The shots came faster than he could see- his father, his mother, his siblings all fell, and in the pool of blood, Dino looked at the man, both hurt and confused. "Why?" he asked.

"Because it's my job."

The answer was painfully simple. Young Dino couldn't understand that a man's job was to be a murderer- a cold-blooded killer. But then, two figures emerged from the cave sides. A woman with soft eyes and blue hair, seemingly pregnant, and a man with a short, red ponytail and a laptop in his arms. These became known as Mr. Irie, and Miss Muroki to young Dino. The two of them became like his new parents... and eventually, Dino forgot about his old family, only remembering who they were in his dreams.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>I apologize for alla OCs. I hate OCs... but I'm not gonna romance them with any of the main characters for this series, so I do hope it's all right... :I<p>

Please Review!


	39. The Plentiful

**Captured Heart**

** Chapter Forty: The Plentiful**

_The Science Center for Supernatural Beings (Japan Branch) grew rich in days, selling their Heartsickness cure to other branches of the SCSB, and to owners of merpeople lakes or centaur pastures, and soon decided that it was time to expand... right into the one place where vampires thrived. All of the Heartsick creatures were cured, and guests started pouring into the SCSB, enhancing their profits further._

_A week later, in Crimson Forest- Japan- 9:00 AM_

It was an uproar. Vampires scattered the area, angered by the intrusion of hunters and tamers on their home land. Trees were cut down, the land upturned, and a large, glass wall was put up- trapping a couple vampires inside it. These two were Kusakabe Tetsuya, and his brother, Kusakabe Tetsu.

Suddenly, doors were opened, and creatures of the merperson, centaur, werewolf and vampire species flooded into it, hissing, roaring, howling, chuffing, screeching, and hunting and grazing with their feral anger. All but one- Hibari Natsu Kyoya the Second. He sombered into the enclosure, and immediately saw the two Kusakabes, and moved up to them, before giving each of them a short hug. Tetsuya was his beloved servant who had served the Hibari Clan for years, and his little brother had been beside him for just as long. The three of them were close friends since childhood.

"Tetsuya, Tetsu, it's so nice to see you again," Hibari sighed as the two bowed to him. "Have you been well?"

"All until those scientists tore down our home!" Tetsuya cried. "Master Kyou, our mates... our children!" Hibari's eyes grew wide.

"Then this is... Crimson Forest?" he murmured, looking around. He ran to the glass wall, and put his hand against it, his eyes watering as he saw the glint of the menacing stares of vampires in the shrubs. And then, to his suprise, one vampire emerged, and came up to the glass. Hibari hadn't seen this vampire before, but seeing the sorrow in his eyes, Hibari knew that this vampire recognized him as one of the aristocratic Hibari clan. The vampire called out to him, but Hibari could not hear what he was saying, and the elite sighed, turning to Kusakabe. "The society is still alive," he whispered. "How? ... Why?"

"As soon as the Hibaris were killed- or so we thought, we went into a frenzy," Tetsuya whispered. "Vampires were mating left and right, trying to replenish that gaping hole in our lives. Without you, Kyou, we had no one to look up to." The vampire on the other side of the glass pressed his face into the wall and slammed his fist into the side of it. Tears began to brim in his eyes. "Now there's so many of us, all seeking out an aristocrat, someone to give our blood to... and to worship. Kyou, everyone wants to give you their blood."

The elite blushed, and he placed his hand on the glass. The other vampire did the same thing, tears starting to roll down his cheeks. The other vampire opened his mouth, pointing to his fangs, and Hibari opened his own in response, proudly displaying his long knives. The wild vampire then gave a small, wishful smile, then held up his hands, forming a heart with them. Hibari grinned, and nodded. He understood. The vampires who were left were so desperate to share their blood with an elite, and he could appreciate that, but at the same time, Hibari could feel Basil's envious gaze on him. He turned, about to call Basil over, when a loud bang rattled the glass, and the moment he turned back, he saw the wild vampire on the ground, his clothes bleeding red. A blood splatter against the glass was made, and even as the feral vampire closed his eyes, likely never to open them again, the small smile was still on his face. Hibari saw the one who had fired the lethal shot as his own kind fell. It was no other than Reborn- the head of the science center.

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><p>Later, on another side of the large enclosure, the centaurs had all fallen asleep but Kikyo. He was wide awake, staring at a pure white being that was just on the other side of the glass. His eyes were dark, hollow, and his long, silvery hair seemed like fog rather than a physical essence. He was a beautiful centaur- no, pegataur- with wide, white wings and a beautiful, sleek pelt. The entire being was painted white, and his body was like ice, but smoothe, and beautiful. Then, without warning, the being stepped through the glass easily, and approached Kikyo, then said, his voice like the hiss of cold water, "What is your name, young one?"<p>

"Kikyo," the appaloosa breathed, blushing lightly. "You?"

"You may call me Ghost," the other said, reaching out. His hand trailed over Kikyo's bare shoulder, then moved down, and the pegataur stepped back, sliding his hand down the horse back. "You, Kikyo, are gorgeous."

"Th-thank you," Kikyo stuttered, before gasping as the icy cold hand slid down his thighs.

"Beautiful, indeed," Ghost husked, coming back. His cool wing draped over Kikyo's body, and he came in, then bit down on the other's shoulder. Kikyo gave a quiet moan as the ghost pegataur gave him a fierce love bite, then flushed red, immediately feeling aroused.

"You're also beautiful, Ghost...," he panted. The pegataur smirked, then turned him, and met their lips together, resulting in a pleasant feeling that spread through his entire being. Kikyo wrapped his arms around the barely solid body, and he could feel Ghost take a step closer, his forehooves moving past Kikyo's own. Then, to Kikyo's shock, the ghost pegataur slid his tongue out and into his mouth, making the appaloosa tremble with anticipation. "Ghost," he gasped as they parted. "Ghost, please..."

"Just stay calm," the other groaned, trotting back to Kikyo's horse end. "Let Ghost take care of you."

_Science Center for Superntatural Beings- Japan Branch- Lab- 6:00 A.M._

Dino gave a wide yawn as he stepped into his workplace once more. He'd had some unsettling dreams last night, and when he walked back into the lab to see Reborn holding a pair of vampire fangs in his hand, everything grew even worse. "Whose are those?" he asked his boss. Reborn snorted.

"Turns out, Crimson Forest still holds vampires- that is, more than we thought. So I went out this morning to find one trying to break through the glass. We simply cannot have that."

"So you shot him and harvested his fangs," Dino concluded, folding his arms. "I think we shouldn't have built an all-inclusive enclosure if it cut that far into Crimson Forest! That's practically sacred land for the vampires!"

"Dino," Reborn began, his tone strict. "These creatures are not our equals. They'll have to move. Besides, what's more important to you, bloodsucking monsters, or your own kind?"

Dino frowned, his mind screaming for him to answer vampires, but instead, he hung his head. "My own kind," he sighed. Reborn nodded in approval, then placed a hand on Dino's shoulder. He took the tamer out of the lab, and showed him around the mostly empty enclosures.

"We're ready to accept more creatures from Italy," Reborn said, "because now we have the space. See, they wanted to send us more werewolves, and centaurs, but I turned them down for our own lack of space. Once Mukuro returns to our center, I'll ask them to send the creatures over."

"Sir, that's wonderful news, but we couldn't possibly!" Dino announced. "The werewolf enclosure's cramped as it is- the centaurs, too! We don't have any room." Reborn sighed, and walked over to the werewolf enclosure. He ordered Dino to unlock it, to which the tamer hesitantly complied. The two walked inside, to find Mammon and Fran talking together. Empathetic, Dino knew that the two had had a rough time, but hoped that they were getting back on track as friends. With that idea, he smiled, but Reborn was less in the mood.

"You two! Why are you still here?" he asked. "Move on to the new enclosure. This place is likely to be torn down so that it can become an educational room."

"You've gotta be kidding me!" Fran protested. "The werewolf enclosure is brand new! Besides, no way I'm going into that namby-pamby room." Mammon laughed quietly, but Reborn was not amused. He immediately took out his pistol, and aimed it at the two, causing Dino to panic.

"Sir!" he said. "Please, calm down!" Reborn glared at him, and Dino sighed, before taking his whip and lashing the gun from his hand. The unfortunate result was a wounded and very angry boss. Reborn massaged his stinging wrist for a few moments, giving the bronco a very angry stare.

"Where do your loyalties lie, Dino Bronco?" he snarled.

"It's not Dino Bronco!" Dino shouted. "It's Dino Cavallone!" Reborn stood up a little straighter, remaining silent as to listen to Dino's plea. "These creatures are amazing, and they're not inhuman! Vampires were derived from a human mutation in the teeth and minds, and they evolved into a spectacular species! Centaurs were the offspring of an odd human-horse hybrid- one that miraculously happened to be fertile! Werewolves... they were wolves that evolved into a species so close to us that you can't possibly call them subspecies! And merpeople- the sweet, sweet merpeople! They've been beside us, guiding us for so long! Those first few dolphins who lost their snouts, who grew fingers...!" Reborn sighed.

"Dino, they're copying us."

"No!" Dino cried. "They want to be part of our society! They want to be our equals! Right?" He turned to the werewolf and merman at the shore, and they both gave small, shy nods. Reborn paused, staring Dino down for a solid amount of time, before turning out of the enclosure. Dino stood there for a few moments, hurt, then sank to his knees. "Damn... what's so different about it?"

Fran and Mammon quietly decided to move on to the new enclosure, and Fran pulled Mammon into the water canal, before leading him to through the water, on to the all-inclusive enclosure.

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Main Enclosure- 9:00 A.M._

"Kikyo," Byakuran began, stepping over to the appaloosa. "Last night... I heard some... noises. It sounded like your voice."

Kikyo flushed red as he looked at his crush, and he slowly walked up to Byakuran. "I don't know it was a dream, or-"

"No," Byakuran said, his amethyst gaze firm. "There was another voice. A breathy, gentle, husky-"

"Seductive," Kikyo added, his knees weak as he said so. "Lord Byakuran... someone visited me last night. Someone I can only describe as an angel. He was so beautiful, and kind... and-"

"Sexy?" Byakuran asked, before stomping a forehoof on the ground. "Kikyo, I'm not a fool. I see that bruise on your neck. I smell the scent of another on you. Who was it?" The question was irrelevant. Last night, Byakuran had opened his eyes to see that magnificent, white, pegataur stallion. That creature, however, was no solid being. It was a phantom. That 'Ghost' was Byakuran's twin brother, and Byakuran did not appreciate the fact that Ghost had shown his face before Kikyo.

The story went that after three decades of living together, young Ghost had grown bored of his brother, and life itself. He'd also had the question his entire life of what it would be like to die, and to be dead. He didn't fear death like most centaurs, or pegasi for that matter. And one day, he decided that life was just too simple for him. And so, one day, when a large fire raked the dry summer's mountains, Ghost refused to fly away with his brother. He stood on the ground, awaiting the flames that licked up to his feet and seared the hair off of his tail. He even sat down, and laid his wings on the ground, and even as he shrieked with the burn of the fire, he never took his eyes off of Byakuran, who was watching with horror in his eyes until Ghost drew his last breath. Not even the pegasus purity trait could save the stallion. White fur and feathers became black ash, and those bright, golden eyes paled until they had vanished beneath the amber flames. Just when Byakuran was about to take his leave, a pure white form dashed up from the ashes, and leapt about him, announcing that he was light on his hooves and could feel everything so much more vividly. This was the last straw for Byakuran- the living halfbreed fled immediately.

And now, Ghost had come back, apparently regretting his departure now. He did everything he could to solidify his form- even jumping into a steadily freezing lake to lower his body temperature to a thick, liquid state. And now, he was trying to take Kikyo away. Judging by that scent on Kikyo, he'd even been successful at doing so.

But Byakuran knew that if he hurt Kikyo over it, it would only make more problems. And so, turning away, the pegataur left, giving up- at least for now.

Hibari, meanwhile, was enjoying a pleasant blood exchange with Basil, when Kusakabe Tetsuya approached the two of them. "Lord Kyou," he greeted, "I am sorry to disturb such a vital ritual to the bonding of vampires, but I-" The elite took his fangs out from Basil's neck, and, swallowing another gulp of the blood, hissed at his servant.

"If you understand how important it is, why do you disturb it?" he snarled.  
>"Uh, well, you see-"<br>"Spit it out, Kusakabe Tetsuya," Hibari muttered.

"Sir, I'm afraid I have to ask why we are in the same enclosure as those disgusting werewolves," Kusakabe admitted, indicating to Belphegor, who was having a field day with the real rocks in his new space. Hibari shrugged.

"Get used to them. They aren't bothering no one," he mumbled. "Besides, who knows? You might grow to love one, someday." Kusakabe had to put effort into not baring his fangs at the idea.

"I respectfully disagree," he said. Hibari chuckled, and came back down to Basil's level, and lazily licked at his mate's neck, knowing that he no longer had to hold back. The both of them had been cured of Heartsickness, and all that was left was to wait for Mukuro Rokudo's return.

**-End Chapter**

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><p><strong>Video Update: <strong>Currently looking for anyone intrested in voice acting for Hibari, Basil, or Mukuro. Pm me if you're intrested in doing so. There isn't commitment to doing all of their lines (as in the whole story), just for chapter 1. :D We're getting there!

Please Review!


	40. The Returned

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty: The Returned**

***WARNING:** This chapter will seem very 1884-ish! Remember, in the end, it will end up as 6918, so don't quit on me! Besides, we still have AT LEAST 10 more chapters to get there.

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Lab- A week later, at 12:00 AM<em>

"Mukuro! You're back!" Dino announced, smiling brightly. "Who's that with you...?" Mukuro placed a hand on the young morph's shoulder.

"This is Enma. He might be the last morph in the world."

"A morph!" Dino repeated. "... You shouldn't have brought the young thing here! Mukuro, things have taken a turn for the worst. Reborn says that we're going to enslave vampires- if a morph shows here...!"

"Shh," Mukuro said, placing a finger over his lips. "Enma, go full vampire." The young morph lost the feathers in his hair, his hooves transformed into human feet with claws, and then, he opened his mouth, giving a quiet moan as his canines elongated into vampire fangs. "He's actually a really tame morph," the hunter said. "Anyway, where is my vampire?"

"Ah, well... all right...," Dino sighed, starting out of the lab. He and Mukuro went over into the main enclosure, and Mukuro saw his vampire immediately. The hunter ran over to the elite, but just before he could hug his love, another vampire raced in front of him, arms outstretched.

"No!" Basil shouted. "Thou must stay away from him, hunter... he art at last happy without thee!"

"What?" Mukuro repeated, before grinning. "Fufu, he would never forget about his true love, silly Basil. Hibarin!"

Hibari turned, and his pale face quickly grew red. He moved around Basil to Mukuro, and looked the hunter up and down, wondering why he was so drawn to Mukuro. After all, he'd determined that he loved Basil, right? "Mukuro," Hibari greeted, folding his arms. "You're back."

"Yes, I am," Mukuro said with only a hint of awkwardness. He held out his arms. "Come now, Hibarin, don't be shy."

"... What, exactly, are you asking of me?" Hibari asked. The hunter was quickly starting to grow short on patience.

"A little hug, you know. Because you did miss me, right, vampire?" he said. Although Mukuro inwardly cursed himself for referring to Hibari as a monster, he knew that something just wasn't right with the other. Hibari paused, then shook his head, and Mukuro frowned. _"Hug me,_ Hibari Natsu Kyoya II," he ordered. The enclosure grew dead silent, and all of the creatures watched as Hibari stepped forward, leaned in, and wrapped his arms around the illusionist's body. The tension was unbearable, even for a man like Mukuro, and while Hibari lingered in the embrace, clearly waiting for permit to stop, the hunter found tears- a foreign substance- arising within his mismatched gaze. "Do you love me?" he whispered. Hibari backed up, and gave the hunter an odd look.

"No... I love Basil..."

Mukuro's mouth hung open, and he covered it with one hand, stepping back. "What...?" he gasped. "Basil...?"

"Damn, I knew this would happen," Dino sighed. Mukuro glared at him.

"What? What happened?" he shouted, lunging out and grabbing Dino's collar. The tamer gasped, but remained on level ground with the hunter as he explained.

"We managed a supplement for Heartsickness, but it only cures the Heartsickness by stealing away the true love that the creature felt," Dino admitted.

"What...?" Mukuro said, trying to blink the excessive tears out of his eyes. "No... then why are all the other creatures still together...?"

"They woke up beside each other in the morning," Dino sighed. "You were gone when Hibari woke up. So it's likely that the tide has changed." Mukuro trembled, then bit his lip, rejecting the idea with all of his might. It had to be a sick joke that everyone pulled together. The hunter would not have it.

"Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, _bite_ _my throat and drink my blood,"_ he commanded, his eyes blazing. The vampire gulped, then walked back to the hunter, and came in close, opening his mouth wide as he instinctively pinpointed the safest place to bite, but just before he could sink his fangs into the flesh and remember all of the times they had loved together... regain their lost blood bond...

BANG.

The vampire paused, and took a wobbly step back, before fainting on the spot. "What the hell...?" Mukuro muttered, looking over his shoulder. "Reborn?"

"Don't worry. It's just a sedative," said Reborn. "Mukuro Rokudo, allowing a vampire to bite you... That's strictly against the rules- have you forgotten? Who's this?" he asked, glancing at Enma.

"Ah, that's Enma. He's a... vampire... that I caught," Mukuro said. "I decided to bring him back here."

"... Well, all right," Reborn sighed, before placing a hand on Mukuro's shoulder. "Look. These vampires... they aren't our equals, right? So remember not to get to attatched to them." With that, he walked away. "Dino? Close the observation overhang. No one else should be coming in until five tomorrow morning."

"Yes, sir," Dino sighed. He looked at Mukuro. "You can stay here for a while. I know you want to catch up."

Mukuro nodded, and looked at the unconcious vampire on the ground. Basil was at Hibari's side, stroking through the elite's hair as he cared for his mate. But both he and Mukuro knew that Hibari's 'true love' for Basil wasn't true love at all, but a false true love created from the absence of Mukuro when his Heartsickness had been cured. The hunter knelt down beside the elite vampire, and placed his hand over Basil's on Hibari's chest. The young vampire looked up, and his sky blue eyes met Mukuro's. "Hunter?" Basil murmured. "Art thou... all right?"

"Do you want to be freed?" Mukuro asked. "Do you want to be set free with Hibarin at your side?"

Basil's eyes shone for a moment. "Would thou do such a thing?"

"I at least want to be remembered by him for that much," Mukuro said softly. "I know he's... happy with you."

Basil reached out, and cupped the hunter's cheek. "Dost thou truly wish for his blood to enter Lord Hibarin's system?" Mukuro gave a slow nod, and the young vampire leaned over the body of his mate, then bit down on Mukuro's neck. He swallowed the blood by the mouthful, knowing that it would go directly into his bloodstream where Hibari himself would soon find it. Mukuro shuddered at the feeling of the fangs piercing his skin, as he hadn't experienced it for a while, and he quivered, imagining the vampire that once belonged to him in Basil's place. The young vampire soon backed off, however, and he gave a quiet apology for any pain as he sat back.

"You really are the perfect one for him," Mukuro murmured, his eyes filled with sorrow. "I should've been kinder while he was still mine." Basil sighed, and continued to rub his mate's stomach, smiling at the hunter.

"Thou hast redeemed thyself, hunter," he said. "I wilt make certain that Lord Hibarin dost not ever forget thee."

Mukuro stood. "At one tonight, we'll have a sendoff celebration. All of the others should be at home or asleep by then. Three o'clock, I get you two out of here. Let everyone know."

Basil nodded, and stood as well, then stepped forward, placing a hand on Mukuro's shoulder. "Thank thee, hunter. I art in thy debt."

"I'll be back in an hour," Mukuro replied. The hunter walked back to the entrance of the enclosure, and over to Dino, who was shooing observers out of the balcony that hung over the main enclosure.

"But there's a new creature...," someone complained. Dino sighed.

"Come back again later... we need our sleep, as do the animals..."

"Dino," Mukuro said as some of the last observers left. "There's something I need to share with you." The two turned towards each other, and Dino nodded.

"Yes?"

"I'm setting Basil and Hibarin free," the hunter whispered. Dino's caramel eyes grew wide.

"R-really?"

"They've displayed enough love, haven't they?" Mukuro said. "I guess they kind of deserve it."

"Oh, Mukuro," Dino said, his eyes shining. He moved in close and gave Mukuro a tight hug. "I'm touched... a hunter... ready to set two of his catches free...!"

"Oh, shut up," Mukuro muttered. "It's for his sake."

"His...? Hibarin's?" Dino murmured, before smiling. "Ah. I see."

"Do me a favor, Dino," Mukuro said. "Instead of all of these fish that everyone always eats, go out and buy a feast for each of the species. I'll pay you a hundred thousand yen."

"A hundred thousand?" Dino repeated.

"Shh. You know what they all like best," Mukuro explained. "The best substitute for blood in a vampire's diet was...? What, again? Tomato juice?"

"No, no, they hate that," Dino chuckled. "The best substitute is actually saltwater. A lot of tamers just dye it red."

"Ah," Mukuro said. "Well, head on out soon. You've got an hour. Is there anyone else we can trust?"

"Well... I would like to bring up Xanxus and Squalo."

"All right, but you're going to have to handle them," Mukuro replied. "I'll get all of the other creatures together. See you at one!"

"Uh- see you!" Dino called as the hunter ran back into the main enclosure.

When Mukuro stepped into the main enclosure, he found that all of the creatures had already assembled into groups by species, and Basil was talking to each of them, explaining what would be taking place in an hour. "You're being freed?" Fon repeated. "Oh, congratulations~ Maybe someday, Colonello and I will be able to walk out of this place together..."

"I'll bet we will!" Colonello announced.

"Focus, everyone!" Basil proclaimed. "Listen, since this is clearly not going to be an event that the scientists will approve of, we need to have security when Lord Rokudo leads us out."

"Oya oya? Calling me Lord, now?" Mukuro chuckled, walking over to the young vampire. "Whatever happened to addressing me as 'hunter'?"

"Nothing happened," Basil muttered, a light blush tinting his pale cheeks. "It's just a formality."

"Right, well..." The hunter looked about at the groups before him. "We do have a lot of creatures, don't we?"

"Please try to focus," Basil replied. "We needst to break down all of the cameras."

Well, Byakuran can handle that," Mukuro said, looking over at the pegataur in the back of the centaur group. "Kufufu~ C'mon, Byakuran, you would love to, right?" The halfbreed slowly walked forth, and Mukuro arched an eyebrow to see how dreadful Byakuran looked. "Oh, my. Can't sleep?" he asked. The pegataur had dark rings around his eyes, and he was almost as pale as his hair was white.

"It's just... romance trouble...," the hybrid muttered, before yawning. "Breaking cameras? I suppose I could do that..."

"Romance trouble?" Mukuro repeated. "... Seriously?"

"Lord Byakuran hast been suffering from the fact that his brother hast cometh back from the dead to taketh away his lover... or something of the sort," Basil said. "More importantly, I needst ask... what is this whole sendoff for? Should we not be discreet about this entire ordeal?"

"Well, you guys have friends in this enclosure, right?" Mukuro pointed out. "I don't think it would be so good if you just up and left."

"I wouldn't be so happy if you took my cousin and got out of here, Basil," Fon chuckled.

Suddenly, Fran launched himself out of the merpeople pond, and Belphegor rushed to his side, then picked him up in his arms. "Fran has something to say!" the princely werewolf declared. Fran rolled his eyes as his lover carried him to the front of the crowd, but he did, indeed, have something to say.

"Why don't you just free all of us?" he asked. "I mean, why would you just have a sudden change in heart for Basil and Hibarin?"

"Well, if I free all of you, I'll just get fired," the hunter said with a hint of awkwardness. "Look, I'll take better care of the lot of you than I used to. Isn't that good enough?"

"So no more killing our families and waving it in front of our noses?" Fran deadpanned. "Yeah. That would be nice."

Mukuro sighed. "You guys..." Suddenly, a certain ravenette decided he was ready to come out of his unconcious state, and he stood up, then looked around.

"Huh...? It's not my birthday...," Hibari murmured. "What's going on?"

"Lord Hibarin," Basil said, turning his mate towards him. "The hunter intends to free us tonight."

"Huh? Mukuro does?" Hibari looked at Mukuro, and suddenly, he recalled everything he had gone through with the hunter, but he did not regain his feelings. "Mukuro...," he murmured.

"Nice to see that you're back," the hunter said in a less sweet tone. "Basil's telling the truth. I'm setting you both free." A trace of sadness crossed Hibari's face, and the elite vampire stepped forward, bringing his former mate into an embrace.

"I'm sorry," he breathed into the hunter's ear. "I'm so sorry." Mukuro teared up, and he gently patted the vampire on the back. "You can't stand seeing me with Basil, so you're freeing us," Hibari sighed.

"It's okay," Mukuro murmured. "I want you to be happy."

"I loved you."

"I still do."

CRASH.

Byakuran landed back on the ground, sighing, "I broke the cameras."

"Good work, Byakuran," Basil said. Hibari backed away from Mukuro, his eyes clearly displaying his apologetic sentiments, and Mukuro gave a small nod- permission for the elite to return to his mate. Hibari did so, and Mukuro stood up straight, preparing to speak.

"We'll all feast and enjoy the night while the scientists are away," Mukuro said. "And, although it is greatly against my morals, we're going to be family tonight. We're sending Hibari and Basil off in four hours."

"All right," everyone said at some point. Mukuro nodded, and started back into his room, intending to tidy up a bit and use his laptop to disarm the sensors that went off whenever a vampire exited the enclosure with a bracelet on.

Kusakabe looked at the vampire he had just recently reunited with, and he looked down. "... Damn."

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- The Hunter's Bedroom- 1:00 AM_

"I got everything," Dino said, holding several bags in his arms. Mukuro sighed, and took the bags from him.

"All right, I'll take these into the main enclosure, and you go get Squalo and Xanxus," the hunter said, before leaving his room. Dino stared after him, a smile on his face. How nice it was that for once in his life, Mukuro was on equal terms with all of the SCSB's captives. The blonde chuckled to himself, and went down the stairs from Mukuro's room, then turned to head down to the lowest, darkest room in the entire science center. While Dino feared Xanxus with a passion, he determined that all that time spent with Squalo must've softened up his rugged heart, even if just a little.

"Xanxus! Squalo!" Dino called, lighting a lantern as he headed down the stairs. "There's something important that you ought to join in..." The blonde paused as the lantern revealed the floor to be soaked with blood, and he gulped, holding the lantern up. He saw Squalo's discarded, unconcious body on the floor, and immediately paniced. The dark gleam of Xanxus's fearsome gaze went unnoticed as Dino rushed to Squalo's side, and the tamer checked for a pulse, knowing that Xanxus must've taken his bloodlust too far... again. "Oh, Squalo...," Dino sighed, "you're lucky you're alive..."

"Get your paws off of him, tamer," growled the low voice from the corner. "If you don't... I'll tear you to shreds."

Dino looked up, and his heart began to race with fear as he saw the bloody gaze of the nearly insane vampire, Xanxus. "Please, let me explain," the tamer whispered. Xanxus gave a low growl in reply, and he slowly moved forward. Somehow, Dino knew what was coming, and he anticipated it, because regardless of the fact that he hadn't done anything to the vampire, he felt as though he needed to compensate for some terrible sin. Dino sat still as Xanxus came close, locking his jaws around his throat, and sucking with that intense, searing pain that most vampires learned to avoid creating. The blonde coughed, his body wracked by the sudden bloodloss, and he rasped, "Xanxus, you and Squalo were invited to come upstairs... we're having a send off for Hibarin and Basil. They're being set free."

"S-send of... huh...? Xanxus... get off 'im...," Squalo muttered, weakly sitting up. The merman placed a hand on his mate's back. "C'mon, 'e was just doing his job... Xanxus... 'oy, Xanxus... ... VOOOOI! GET THE HELL OFF 'IM SO WE CAN GO TO THE DAMNED THING!"

At last, the vampire backed off, but his eyes still blazed with fury._ Dino had a sense that this wasn't over yet._

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Video Update: All right! It looks like we might have a Mukuro, so Basil and Hibari are still open for voice-acting. (Just chapter one)<p>

Please Review!


	41. The Sweet

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-One: The Sweet**

Dino, Squalo, and Xanxus emerged in the all-inclusive enclosure, Xanxus wearing a vampire hunting bracelet that would shock him if his temper rose. The three walked over to Mukuro, where the hunter was trying to sort out all of the food. "Um... let's see... I know the bottles of blood substitute here are for the vampires... What is this...? Merperson meat?"

"It's goose, silly," Dino laughed, jogging over. "For the werewolves. I can't believe a hunter such as yourself doesn't know what food these creatures naturally eat."

"Did you say goose?" Rasiel began, before locking an arm around Bel's neck. "A~ah, a feast fit for a pair of princes, ne, Bel?" The younger prince giggled, and nodded in agreement. Dino passed out a banquet of roses and a fruit basket to each of the centaurs, and he threw in a packet of asssorted seeds for Byakuran in acknowledgement of his pegasus roots. He then gave the merpeople each a plate of expensive sushi, but Fran ended up trading Takeshi for his fruit. The werewolves all got their own goose, and the vampires each got steaks with a bottle of blood substitute- Xanxus getting an alcoholic variant of the drink.

"There we are," Dino said. "Everyone happy?" The creatures nodded, and the tamer cheerfully turned to Mukuro, then said, "We have ourselves a little treat, too." He took two boxes from the bags, and handed one to Mukuro. The hunter opened it, and chuckled at the rice inside.

"So they feast and we get fast food?" he said to Dino. The tamer wavered for a moment, but he didn't have to worry. Mukuro laughed, "Crazy. I love it. Kufufu~..."

"Then, what are we going to be doing?" asked Basil. Mukuro chuckled. "Whatever you please, I suppose."

"Vooi, Fuuta!" Squalo called to the young merman that was still in the pool with Bluebell. "You ought to sing something!"

"Wha- no!" Fuuta shouted, blushing. "You go ahead!"

"Fran?" Squalo called.

"No way, man. If there's going to be music, then I'm gonna teach the dog how to shake his tail," Fran said, pointing at Bel. The werewolf blushed.

"As much as I hate to use my angelic voice," came an echo from behind the centaur crowd. "I would gladly oblige." A glowing, white pegataur emerged, and Byakuran snorted.

"Get out of here, Ghost," he muttered.

"Ghost?" Kikyo murmured with a blush. Ryohei, spooked by the phantom, sped off, screaming about something that no one could identify.

"Forget music, just dance if you want to," Mukuro sighed. Hibari swept Basil up against him, being too elegant to miss this chance, and quickly taught the younger vampire how to move properly. The two quickly sank into a traditional vampire dance, which amused all of those who were not their species. Xanxus started chugging the alcoholic blood substitute, and the send off celebration officially began. It was a cheerful scene, and as the fires in the torches died down, Dino took the liberty to relight them. Everyone was having a good time, enjoying themselves, when at last, Hibari took notice of something in the shadows. He walked back to the glass, and sighed, Basil right beside him.

"We'll be out there so soon," he whispered. "Out there... back with our own kind."

"We shalt find a beautiful home in which to mate and create a family," Basil replied, before nuzzling into Hibari's chest. "We will go in the heart of Crimson forest, where young vampires go to be adopted. We wilt have a child, with whom our lives will continue forever..."

"Forever... yes," Hibari murmured. Suddenly, he felt a hand on his back, and he turned. "Mukuro?" he said. "What is it?"

"I apologize," the hunter said. "But in lieu of apology for everything I've done, will you do me the honor of teaching me one of the vampire dances?"

The elite smiled. "It's not that different from a human's, but I suppose... Basil?"

"Yes, my Lord. Go ahead."

The younger vampire watched as his mate took Mukuro back out into open area, and he smiled, reaching up and touching his fangs. He wondered how his mate would react when he tasted the blood of his true love again. Hibari took Mukuro's gloved hand within his own, and came in until his fangs touched the hunter's shoulder. "Do you bite?" Mukuro asked.

"No," the vampire replied. "It's the goal not to do that. This dance is one to teach endurance." Hibari stepped forward, and the other man took a step back, blushing as Hibari's chest brushed up against his. He didn't know if he'd really be able to withstand letting his love go. But for now... he would enjoy their close proximity, and he would embrace his- no, _Basil's_ vampire with as much love as he wished he had given before.

"I love you," he whispered. Hibari remained silent, to Mukuro's relief, and they stepped together, knowing that this would be the last time they shared any sort of intimacy.

Belphegor and Fran ate together with Rasiel and Mammon, the four of them quietly sharing stories from their past. "Well... my mother and father were very kind," Mammon said. "And they loved each other so much... they would readily die for each other. That was the impression I got whenever I saw them."

"Hohh, that's a lucky upbringing," Rasiel said. "The only parents I remember are the king and queen. Ne, Bel?"

"Yeah, same here," Bel answered. "Jill and I never knew our real parents. We were just taken in by the prince one day." Jill nodded with agreement. Fran smiled.

"I don't remember what my parents were like, because my mother died when I was very young, and my father, like all mermen, left the lake as soon as I was born. I was the only merperson in the lake aside from my grandmother. She took care of me until I was of age to take a mate. It was around then that she died."

"How sad," Rasiel commented. "That all of your guardians died."

"I turned out okay, though, right?" Fran said. When no one answered, the merman was irked, and Belphegor hurried to change the subject.

Meanwhile, Dino sat against a wall, his eyes shining with happiness. To see just how friendly all of the creatures were with each other, and how young Enma was accepted into the group so easily, that sight brought the tamer incredible joy. It brought salty tears to his eyes and made his cheeks turn color as he realized just how wonderful all of these beings were. Werewolves and vampires laughing together, merpeople and centaurs sharing food, and most of all, a human and a vampire moving side by side, as equals. Dino could hardly contain his happiness to be in this temporary world where _no one was a subspecies_.

"My, what's going on in here?"

And then, it crashed. Dino looked up at the man who had walked in, and everyone stopped talking and froze, but when they saw that it was Lussuria, everyone calmed slightly. "Dino, what's going on?" Lussuria asked, folding his arms. "Is it someone's birthday?"

"Well... actually...," Dino began. He explained things to the flamboyant tamer, and Lussuria smiled.

"All right, then, I suppose this is a perfect chance." Lussuria walked over to Bel and Fran, and as he quietly excused himself, taking Fran's hands and kneeling down. "Fran-chan, I'm sorry," he murmured. "For everything I've done to you."

"... I forgive you," Fran replied, "for you brought me Belphegor." The princely werewolf at Fran's side blushed.

Lussuria stood back up, and gave the merman a brief hug, before walking up to Squalo. "And I apologize to you, too, Squalo."

"Ah, forget about it," Squalo muttered, looking elsewhere. "That was a damn long time ago, anyway." Finally, the tamer walked over to Ryohei, and he smiled at the silver-pelted centaur, then hugged him.

"Ryo-chan, I love you," he breathed. Surrounding creatures wolf-whistled at the tamer, and Ryohei flushed red, but hugged the tamer back.

"I... I love you too, extremely," Ryohei mumbled. Lussuria looked back at Dino.

"Well, continue, dears. I won't say a word."

The party slowly resumed as normal, and Dino stood up, having finished his late dinner, before walking over to Basil with the intention of taking the young vampire's mind off of the dancing couple out a few meters away. "Hey," he greeted as he stepped in next to the tan-haired vampire. "Are you all right?" he asked. Basil gave a small nod.

"I am not sure if Lord Hibarin wilt be fully satisfied being by my side," he murmured. "And I suppose I do feel some pity for the hunter, as I haveth felt the same."

"Aw, cheer up, Basil," Dino said, giving the young vampire a gentle nudge with his elbow. "You're going to be happy with him, right?"

"But of course!" Basil said, his eyes shining. "I lovest Lord Hibarin with all my heart. I want nothing more than to be beside him... for eternity!"

Dino tilted the young vampire's face up, and gently brushed the tears from his eyes. "So why are you crying?" he murmured. Basil shook his head, and leaned against the tamer.

"I suppose I have grown somewhat attatched to this unholy place."

Dino chuckled, and patted the vampire's back. "We'll see you around."

"Yeah."

Byakuran watched the painful sight of Kikyo talking to Ghost, and he pawed at the ground with his forehooves, pissed off enough to throw a tantrum and gallop around the enclosure, had he not been the prideful pegataur he was. It was then, however, that a certain couple walked over to him. "Yo, Byakuran," Takeshi greeted, the werewolf at his side. "We have a message from Hibarin."

"From Hibarin?" Byakuran had met with the vampire on two occassions to learn how he could become closer to Kikyo, but he was starting to look defeated recently. Takeshi walked up close.

"Hibarin says,_ 'Get him back, Byakuran. Show him that you really do love him,'"_ quoted the ebony-pelted centaur. Byakuran's amethyst gaze opened wide.

"Thanks," he murmured, before turning back towards Kikyo. "I'm going to get him back... Thanks again." With that, the pegataur trotted off, and Takeshi grinned, glancing back at Hayato.

"You think it's all right we meddled?"

"Ah, come on, we needed to," the silverette laughed.

Byakuran ran right up to Kikyo and skidded to a stop, before bowing low. "Kikyo," he began, summoning all of his pride, and stepping on it as he said, "I love you more than anyone else in the world. I would do anything for you. So please... won't you have this dance with me?" The pegataur held out his hand, and Kikyo stared at it. He was torn immediately between the two pegataurs. He had always admired Byakuran from afar, but since Ghost had appeared, that gaping hole in his heart had finally been patched, even if it wasn't yet complete. Since the incident between Byakuran, himself, and that 'friendly little slap,' Kikyo had felt rejected and, needless to say, hurt. He wanted Byakuran, but he already had Ghost, and the latter was sweeter than the former had ever been to him. The living pegataur versus the phantom one... Kikyo felt as though he could never pick one. And so, he reluctantly gave his answer.

"Uh, Ghost, I'm going to humor him, if you don't mind," he said, reaching over and taking Byakuran's hand. He didn't care any more. He was going to be selfish... because he had no other choice.

_Meanwhile, in the merpeople pond..._

"Um... Bluebell?" Fuuta began, glancing back at the blue-haired mermaid. "I have something I want to tell you..."

"Well, spit it out, Fuuta, c'mon," Bluebell coaxed, smiling at the younger merman.

"Uh... I...!"

"Fuuta! Hey, come 'ere a sec!" Fran called. The merman sighed.

"I'll tell you later...," he whispered, pushing himself out of the water. He dragged himself over the land up to Fran, and let the older pull him into a sitting position. "Fran-nii," he greeted. (A/N: For those who don't know, 'nii' is a honorific for 'older brother.')

"Mind hanging out with us for a while?" the teal-haired merman suggested. Fuuta reluctantly accepted.

"Hey, Fran, where did Jill and Mammon go?" Belphegor asked. His lover shrugged.

"I dunno," he said. "Probably went to go make out or something."

Rasiel and Mammon were, in fact, not making out. But it was that the both of them hadn't had much sleep lately, and were feeling a little, say... _loopy_. The pair of werewolves had hatched- _pardon me_, birthed- an idea that wasn't neccessarily a good one, but they were both convinced it was. They snuck into a crevice in the wall, and played rock-paper-scissors for who would follow through with it first. Mammon won, and he summoned himself, before letting loose a loud howl that made a few people turn their heads, but not a lot of creatures heard the noise. Rasiel grinned, and followed suit, and eventually, the two and their mock scary scene were ignored by the others. For them, however, it was still a lot of fun.

The fun could never have lasted long enough. While Hibari and Mukuro stood in the middle of the enclosure, embracing for the last time, Dino managed to catch the time, and he headed over by the entrance, calling for everyone's attention.

_It was time._

**-End Chapter**

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><p>:P Cliff'd ya!<p>

Please Review!


	42. The Released

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-two: The Released**

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- All-Inclusive Enclosure-_

Hibari and Basil stood at the entrance with Mukuro, both of them trembling slightly. The hunter placed his hands on their shoulders. "All right everyone, this is it," he said. "Any final words to them?"

Byakuran said, "Thanks for everything, you two!"

Fran called out, "I love you! ... You know. Like a friend."

Fon announced, "I love you too, cousin; it was so wonderful to see you again."

"Good luck, you two~!" Lussuria cried. A portion of Hibari wanted to cry. He knew what he was leaving behind, and he'd miss them all. But at the same time, he knew that he'd only be on the other side of the glass. He let Mukuro lead them both out, and they walked silently through the corridors, before walking outside.

"Is this it?" Hibari asked.

"This is it," the hunter answered. A gush of cold air swept over the three, and Hibari shuddered, holding his cape around his body.

"Cold...," he sighed.

"Yes, this will be quite the change from your temperature-controlled enclosure," Mukuro chuckled. "You've been living in a snowglobe for a while now."

"It's all right, my lord," Basil said, stepping forward. "Canst thou hear the sounds of the earliest birds in the trees? The hum of insects beyond the shrubs... and most importantly..." The young vampire hugged his mate tightly. "Oh, my Lord! The sound of freedom, canst thou hear it?"

Hibari smiled. He knew that it had long been Basil's desire to escape their captivity, and he was ready to leave with the vampire. He glanced back at Mukuro. "Thanks for everything," he whispered. Mukuro's eyes were full of sorrow as he reached over, and he placed his hands on the vampire's shoulders.

"Be safe," he whispered. The two vampires turned, and began to walk away, but Hibari looked back so many times that it broke Mukuro's heart. The illusionist sank to his knees, his lower lip trembling as the vampires disappeared into the dark. "I'll miss you," he breathed. "Oh, Hibarin, I miss you already!"

A hand was placed on the illusionist's shoulder, and he was stunned to see his boss. "R-Reborn?" he began.

"Our rules are in place for a reason, Mukuro Rokudo," Reborn sighed. "It's a pity that you thought you could evade the bond of blood. Come inside now."

"Then, you're not angry?"

"No. That vampire was rebellious. He'd put us out of business. I'm glad that you have finally learned your lesson," Reborn sighed. "They aren't our equals. And we can't fall in love with them." Even as he said it, the boss inwardly cursed his hypocrisy, and he lead the hunter back inside.

_Crimson Forest- Japan- 3:00 AM_

"Freedom, freedom~," Basil sang, lacing himself around the trees and bushes. "My Lord, is this not grand?"

"It's beautiful," Hibari agreed. "But Basil... I've been meaning to share a blood under a gorgeous, full moon like this for a long time now... What do you say?"

Basil's cheerful expression turned to one of total bliss, and he threw himself into the older vampire, then tossed off his cape and shirt. "Drink away, my Lord," he cooed. "Even if thou were to take all of me here, I would still be happy." Hibari sighed, and leaned in. He nibbled along Basil's neck, seeking out the best place to take from. He at last came upon the traditional sweet spot, and he softly bit down, holding Basil's small body in his arms as he drank. The younger vampire clung to him like a child, and moaned loudly, making it obvious that he was rousing the attention of any nearby vampires. "Harder, my Lord~," Basil said, his voice remarkably gentle. "Don't hold back... we're free..."

Hibari swallowed hungrily, convinced by Basil's joy, and he realized that his mate's blood was even sweeter than normal. It was mixed with someone else's blood, and while most vampires would be seething with envy, Hibari was able to identify this mixture, and he began to nurse on Basil like a vampire that was just developing its fangs. That taste... unlike any other in the world, giving a sense of security, and pure love as well... Hibari could feel the tangible bond between him and Basil strengthen, but something else emerged, as well. An old bond was reinvigorated... forming from the back of his mind...

"Uh... e-excuse me? Are you... are you someone from the Hibari clan?"

Hibari looked up to see a vampire before him, one who looked to have been related to the one that was killed earlier. He had wavy, pine green hair, and dark circles around his eyes, and in his arms, he cradled a pink, stuffed bunny with several patches. "I am indeed," Hibari said, backing away from Basil. The euphoric vampire slumped into him and fell asleep against his chest, and Hibari caught him with one arm as he collapsed. "And you are?"

"D-daisy, your highness," said the vampire, bowing. "Then, you have taken a mate, my Lord?"

"Yes."

"How wonderful!" Daisy said, smiling brightly. "The Hibari clan is alive, then! Ahh, come with me, please, my Lord. I'll offer you a den to sleep in for the night." Hibari picked up Basil and followed alongside Daisy into the heart of Crimson Forest, where the cries of young vampires could be heard. Noise in the area died down as the green-haired male and Hibari entered a clearing, and as the helping vampire stepped into the center, he announced, "This is one of the Hibari Clan!"

A cheer arose in the area, and vampires began to emerge. There was a dark haired vampire with straight hair, wearing glasses and a white beanie, as well as what seemed like a barcode on his cheek. Hibari resisted the temptation to ask his price. A vampire with eyes as wild and timid as Xanxus stepped out, a broken vampire hunting chain cuffed to one of his wrists. There was a girl with pink hair and cheerful eyes, with a somewhat screeching voice that made Hibari wince. And then, there was what seemed to be a vampire werewolf hybrid, sitting on all fours and barking happily.

"Um, my lord, this is Chikusa," Daisy said, indicating to the vampire with a beanie. "This is Lancia." The one with the chain. "M.M." The one with the annoying voice. "And this is Ken." The halfbreed.

"Ken?" Hibari felt as though he'd heard the name before.

"Welcome back, my lord," said Lancia, taking a few steps forward and holding out his hand. Hibari had Basil in his arms, but thankfully, a handshake was most certainly not what the vampire was looking for. Hibari knelt down, and sank his long fangs into the other's wrist. He took a few swallows of the thick liquid, then backed off, and some of the surrounding vampires cheered once more, before coming up and crowding around Hibari. This, however, was too much. The elite shooed all of the others away from him, and followed Daisy into a small wooden den, where he and Basil would sleep for the night.

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- The Hunter's Bedroom- 5:00 AM (1-Person Lemonade Warning- Key Event Weaved in!)_

"Did you get it?" Mukuro whispered as Dino walked in. The tamer handed him a bottle filled with a crimson liquid.

"I don't know what you're going to do with it, but savor it in whatever way you can," he sighed. "This bottle contains every last trace that vampire will ever have in this place." The hunter nodded, silently dismissing the tamer. As the blonde left, Mukuro stared at the blood inside the bottle for a while, before placing it against his lips and tilting his head back.

It was a deadly sin, and he knew it. But that blood was the only thing he had left, and he knew that it was the one thing would bring him closer to his love. He let each drop of the ruby liquid slide sweetly down his throat, and he sighed, remembering Hibari's disgust upon biting himself. If the huntercould drink this stuff all day, he'd be content. However, he knew that this was a one-time only occasion perfectly well. He soon put the bottle down for a moment, then took off his jacket and shirt. The hunter roamed his hands over his own body, sighing at the cold tips that explored his skin. "Hibarin," he breathed. He took a hold of the bottle once more, and took another swallow of the blood of his true love, his lips tingling at the foreign taste and texture. Mukuro sighed, sliding his hands back down, this time toying with his waistband. He slowly slid off his pants, leaving on only his underwear, and he sighed, leaning back. The hunter leaned back and pulled out the band holding his hair in it's usual shape, letting the longer hair pool over his shoulders.

Their first mating. It was the only thing Mukuro thought about as the blood trickled down his human throat, and as he moved his hands over his own body. "Hibarin," he sighed. "I love you..." The pain lighted- if only a little- when Mukuro determined that he was strengthening the blood bond that linked him to Hibari. Maybe, this way, they could somehow stay together. The hunter at last couldn't stand any more, and he slid his hand into his boxers. He gasped as the cold fingers touched his hot arousal, and he closed his eyes tightly, running his hand over the appendage. He thought of Hibari, the beautiful vampire who once gave him unbelievable pleasure and love, and he began to pump his hand over his manhood, bringing the bottle of blood back to his trembling lips and drinking more.

He knew the consequences of drinking a vampire's blood. He might grow too attached to the taste, in which case an addiction might develop. He might actually grow fangs and become a vampire himself, but if that happened, Mukuro swore he would get his fangs pulled. His life would stretch out longer than any other human's; he'd watch all of his human friends die. And worst of all, he would grow, personality-wise, like one of them, and seek out vampires to drink his blood.

_But it didn't matter anymore._

Since the vampire was gone, Mukuro was fine with throwing away life as he knew it. Hibari was too special, too pure, too lovable, and now, the hunter knew he wouldn't see the elite again. More than likely, Basil was going to take his love to some special place far away, and Mukuro would never see Hibari again. "I love you so much," Mukuro sighed. "Damn... damn Heartsickness." He hated his own ignorance with everything he had. If it weren't for his dumb jealousy, none of this would've happened. "Ah-!" came the somewhat strangled cry as the stressful pleasure peaked. The hunter finished the bottle, groaning as his body slowly settled, then began to ache. His stomach already felt sore as it rejected the blood that flooded inside it, but Mukuro would have it no other way. He would take any kind of pain as long as it was for Hibari Natsu Kyoya II.

Just outside his room, Dino bit his lip, and began to walk away. Mukuro had never been so insane as to take such an enormous risk, but then again, he realized, losing Hibari must've been more traumatic than he had thought. Dino's father had always told him about true love and how special it was to believe in, but Dino never experienced the emotion himself. He strongly believed that 'true love' was something that vampires, exclusively, held the secret to creating, and that no human could follow in that path.

Thankfully, he was wrong.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>All right, I'm off spring break now, so yeah... Uploads are going back to normal.<p>

Please Review!


	43. The Relieved

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-Three: The Relieved**

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- In the Hall- 10:00 AM the Next Day_

Mukuro had lumbered out of his room moments before, groggy and exhausted, and he then stood before Dino, both of his eyes speckled with a metallic, red gleam. "Dino...," he sighed. "I... drank Hibarin's blood."

"I know," Dino muttered. "I knew you would the second I gave you that bottle. A blood bond is powerful, Mukuro."

"Indeed," Mukuro sighed. "I didn't get a wink of sleep last night... it was... painful." Dino sighed, and patted the hunter on the shoulder. "Don't worry, Mukuro. They'll be fine out there." The younger man gave a small, uncertain nod, and the tamer smiled broadly, saying, "How about someday soon, you go into Crimson Forest and do a little... hunting?"

The other trembled, and reached up, rubbning his face with his dark, gloved hands, and he sighed, "I'm sorry, Dino... I can't. I hate this. True love... this emotion is more painful than any other I've ever felt..." Dino sighed, and reached over, patting the hunter's shoulder.

"It's all right, okay? You'll see him again, I'm sure."

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- All Inclusive Enclosure- 11:00 AM_

Kikyo gave a wide yawn, standing up tall on his legs as he did so, and he looked to his side. "Morning, Kikyo," greeted the phantom beside him. Just before Kikyo could return the greeting, a hand grabbed his shoulder, and he was turned to see Byakuran.

"Good morning, Kikyo," he husked. Kikyo whinnied with suprise and trotted back immediately.

"L-lord Byakuran," he stuttered. "G-good morning..."

"It's time for you to choose, Kikyo," Byakuran said, holding his wings out in a traditional welcoming position. "Me? Or Ghost?"

"Huh?" Kikyo grunted, continuing to step back. "But..."

"I love you, Kikyo," Ghost said, "don't forget."

"I love him, too, you know," the living pegataur cut in. "In fact, I loved him first!" The phantom smiled eerily.  
>"Did you, now?"<br>Knowing that Ghost was currently in a solid state, Byakuran lunged forward, and attacked his brother, leaving Kikyo to stare at them both with his weak, teal gaze. He loved Byakuran, but after what they had done, he didn't want to hurt Ghost either. The centaur flashed back to the days where he was trapped in a pasture, performing tricks for an audience, being whipped at every wrong move. He was never a free centaur for more than a few seconds. He was momentarily set into the wild, but just before he could reach a herd of his own kind, he was roped, tripped, tied up and dragged all the way into the Science Center. And, though the thought brought tears to his eyes, Kikyo would rather relive those days than hurt either of the beautiful pegataurs before him.

"Ghost, Lord Byakuran, stop fighting," Kikyo called. "Please..." Byakuran stood upright and stopped moving, but Ghost continued to rear up and slam his hooves against the other's, making bruises blossom over the pure skin until the centaur couldn't bear to watch any more. "Stop!" he cried, dashing forward and ramming into Ghost. Caught of guard, the phantom broke from his solid state, and vanished, leaving the appaloosa alone with the one he loved. Kikyo turned to Byakuran, then, having lost the whole of a strong veneer, ran forward and hugged the pegataur tightly. "Byakuran, oh, Byakuran!" he cried. "I love you so much..."

"I love you too, Kikyo," Byakuran whispered, reaching out and returning the other's embrace. "Shh... no need to cry, Kikyo, I'm here for you now. I won't ever hurt you again. Promise." The appaloosa quivered, and he gave a wide smile, knowing now that Byakuran never meant him any harm.

On the other side of the enclosure, Takeshi nudged Hayato and pointed at the two, his chocolate-brown eyes soft as they met with the werewolf's. "Cute, right?" he murmured. The silverette glanced over at the pegataur-centaur couple.

"Che! Not nearly as cute as you," he snorted. The ebony coated centaur gave a broad smile, and hugged his mate, when Hayato abruptly pushed him back.

"Hayato?"

"Shh, I think that damn tamer is talking about us to the observers," he said. The two listened closely, and Hayato, thanks to his sharp hearing, was able to hear some of the words.

"Yeah, it's actually really funny to watch them mate," Dino laughed. "Hayato makes this really hilarious face whenever Takeshi enters him. It's like he never sees it coming, you know?"

Hayato flushed red. "That bastard..." Takeshi laughed.

"Well, you do make a pretty funny face," he chuckled. The werewolf glared at him, and Takeshi awkwardly laughed it off. "All right, I think I know how to get him to stop." The centaur relayed a plan to his mate, and the silverette broke into a slow, almost Belpehgor-worthy grin, before hopping on to Takeshi's back, and uncertainly standing on the horse body. The ebony-pelted centaur stopped when they were near the overhang. "Just get on my shoulders the moment I rear up," he said. His mate nodded, and Takeshi reared up. The silverette quickly crawled on to his shoulders, then leapt up, successfully locking his arms over the stone wall to the overhang from which observers watched them. He clawed his way up, Dino watching in shock, then stood upright as he came on to level ground with the humans.

"Dang, Hayato, that was pretty good!" Dino said. The werewolf made a point of cracking his knuckles, and the observers ran away, leaving the silverette alone with the blonde. "Uh..."

"Think it's funny, do you?" Hayato snarled. "That a werewolf will make a face when penetrated by a centaur?" The tamer blushed, and closed his eyes as the werewolf came up close. "Well let me suggest this," hissed Hayato. "What does a blondie do when their boss bends them over on a desk?"

"Wha-? That never happened!" Dino protested. "Come on, Hayato, I haven't had sex yet!" The werewolf smirked as many of the supposedly-fled observers started laughing at the tamer, and Dino flushed red, and hid his face in his hands. "Hayato, did you have to?"

"I never made you say anything," the werewolf replied. "Anywho, I don't think a little virgin such as yourself has any business judging me and my face when you haven't experienced anything remotely close to that firsthand. Scram."

Humiliated, Dino ran off, and Hayato grinned, before leaping the fence and falling right back on to Takeshi's back. "That was pretty mean, Hayato," the centaur laughed. "How did you know?"

"I didn't," Hayato replied. "Just needed to embarass him. My job's done."

Takeshi chuckled, and reached back, then felt along his mate's thighs. "You're such a bad boy, Hayato," he husked.

"Mock me and I'll give you the fist," Hayato muttered. The ebony-pelted centaur smiled, and tugged the werewolf forward towards him, breaking into a trot as he admired his mate's beautiful body.

_Meanwhile, in the Tamers' Bedroom..._

Dino flopped down on the bed, and looked over at the male a small distance away. Lussuria was staring at him with confused eyes, his arms folded. "All right, hun, what happened?" the older tamer asked.

"I just got dissed by a werewolf," Dino muttered, turning away.

Lussuria clucked his tongue in disapproval, and sat down on the blonde's bed, reaching out and rubbing his shoulder in a soothing manner. "What did they say to you, hun?"

"Really, it's what they said that made me trigger my own insult."

"And that would be?" Luss pressed.

"... That I haven't lost my first time yet," Dino sighed.

"... And, how old are you, hun?"

"Twenty four..."

The older man bit his lip for a moment. "It's okay, hun. Take five; I'll handle the observers for you."

"Aren't you still getting ready?" Dino asked, glancing over his shoulder. The other giggled.

"My beauty can wait if you're down," he cooed. "Relax, dear. I'll be back to check on you at noon."

"Thanks, Luss," the blonde sighed, closing his eyes.

Lussuria walked back out on to the observation overhang, and asked the observers, "Where were we?"

"Uh, Dino was talking about Hayato's silly face when he mates with Takeshi," one announced. The tamer grinned.

"Hoohoo~ It is quite the funny face he makes, but let's change the subject," Lussuria said. "Any questions?"

"Who tops, Bel or Fran?" asked another. The older man leaned against the wall.

"Usually Bel, but he does give Fran his turns every so often." Suddenly, a wave of water crashed over the tamer, and he gasped as his glasses fell off. Creepy laughing from behind told him just who had done the deed, and he whirled around. "I just dried my hair, you two!" he cried.

"Sorry, Luss, looks like high tide is a little early today!" came Fran's call.

"Well, I never!" the tamer huffed, turning back. "Now, where are my glasses..."

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- All Inclusive Enclosure- 9:00 PM That Day..._

All of the creatures were at peace. There was a nest made by Colonello in which he and his mate slept in together, and beside them were Rasiel and Mammon, even though Mammon claimed he was only going to sleep there once. Belphegor and Fran snuggled close where the grass was shortest, and Hayato fell asleep on Takeshi's back, his arms draped around the centaur's waist. For the first time, Kikyo and Byakuran fell asleep leaning against each other, tails crossed. In the bottom of the pond, Fuuta and Bluebell slept adjacent to each other. Skull slept by himself, but that was just how he wanted it. Ryohei fell asleep with Lussuria beside him, but Lussuria soon slipped out, leaving the silver-pelted centaur in peaceful slumber. Even Squalo and Xanxus slept soundly beside each other, having not been moved back to the unpleasant cage below.

Only one 'creature' was unsound sleeping in the enclosure. It was Mukuro, who had snuck into the enclosure to uncover the last thing he had left of the one he loved. It was a dusty, torn cape, one which the hunter himself had replaced for the vampire. Mukuro came out and removed the cape from the bushes, and he inhaled the weak scent that still clung to the material, soon falling asleep to dream of the one who he continued to long for. He loved the vampire so much it hurt, and he didn't know how much longer he'd be able to withstand the pain.

Little did he know that it wouldn't be too long, for a certain blood bond was being revived even as they remained apart.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Reviews? I'm slumped... Sorry for the slightly-shorter-than-normal chapter!<p>

**Also! Who do you want to see Dino paired with? Leave an answer in your review!**


	44. The Chaotic

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-four: The Chaotic**

_Crimson Forest- Japan- 10:00 PM That Day_

Hibari and Basil at last came up to the glass, and squeezed each other's hands as they looked in there. "Look, my Lord," Basil murmured, pointing. "The hunter is..." The ravenette's breath hitched, and his eyes fluttered as he saw the hunter, asleep with an old cape clutched in his arms. The young vampire beside him sighed, and murmured, "Go ahead. But don't stay too long. Thou saw what hast happened to the last vampire that hung around here." Hibari nodded, and his mate headed back to the forest. The older vampire walked over to the closest point he could get to the hunter, and he knelt down, then scratched on the glass. The other turned about a bit, then sat up, and his mismatched eyes grew wide when he saw the vampire.

Hibari could see the pale lips hug the word _'Hibarin?'_ as it left the hunter's mouth, and he smiled, holding out his arms. Mukuro scrambled to his feet and ran over, then actually ran right into the glass. Hibari chuckled as the hunter groaned, covering his nose, and the vampire put a hand against the glass. Mukuro's eyes watered, and he fell to his knees, shaking his head. He looked up, and mouthed, _'I miss you so much.'_ Hibari nodded, and leaned in, and the hunter did so on the other side of the glass. Their lips met with the mere separation of the glass, and Hibari could almost feel the hunter's anguish as they shared the intangible kiss.

The vampire parted too soon, leaving Mukuro staring after him with those heartbreaking, somber eyes. "I'm sorry," Hibari murmured, "I'm so sorry." He moved his hand against the glass, as if caressing the other's cheek, and Mukuro held up the cape he'd been holding close, and pressing it against the glass. Hibari nodded, expressing the fact that he understood how much the other loved him. The hunter then pointed to the vampire, then to his wrist, outlined a bottle with his finger, and acted out downing the entire thing. Hibari didn't understand. "Did you... drink my blood?" he questioned. Mukuro didn't hear him. The two shrugged at each other. "Mukuro, I think I love you," Hibari sighed, forming a heart with his fingers. Suddenly, the hunter on the other side grew angry. Hibari gasped as the hunter pulled out a gun and aimed it at him.

_'I'll kill you,_' he mouthed. The vampire slowly left, leaving Mukuro alone.

On the other side, Mukuro breathed heavily as he put the gun away. "I'm sorry, Hibarin," he breathed. "It's for your own good, I promise." A hand was placed on his shoulder, and Mukuro turned to see Fon.

"You care about him so much," Fon breathed. "I understand why you don't want him to remain attatched to you, but he seems to love you again."

"I can't," Mukuro said, wiping at his eyes. "He's done so much to try and make me happy, but... I... I can't handle any more of this drama."

"I know you aren't used to it," Colonello said, walking forth, "as a hunter, dammit. But emotions ain't that bad, dammit. If you really love that guy, then don't push him back. If he wants you and you want him, then that's okay!" Mukuro shook his head.

"It's too late. He's already made his choice. And that choice... it's not me."

Fon sighed, and placed the old cape of Hibari's over the hunter's shoulders, before tying it on him. "If that blood you drank causes any problems, just come see me." Mukuro blinked the tears out of his eyes, and he nodded, then stood. He walked out of the enclosure, the cape on his shoulders, and he stopped as he saw Dino.

"What's wrong with you?" he snapped. Dino blushed.

"Well, good evening to you, Mukuro," he mumbled. "I've just been a little thrown off. Hayato jabbed a mental nerve earlier."

"You can be so sensitive," the hunter muttered.

"Anyway, what about you? Isn't it a little weird that you're wearing Hibarin's old cape?" Dino snarled. Mukuro stiffened, then he grew enraged.

"Fine. I'll burn it," he said. The blonde gasped as Mukuro tore it off and walked over to a torch, but the tamer lunged forward, pulling the hunter back. "Make up your mind, bastard!" Mukuro hissed. "I'm burning it!"

"No, Mukuro, that's not the answer! I didn't mean it like that!" Dino cried. Mukuro shoved him back, then whirled around, simultaneously throwing a punch to the tamer's face. The older man stumbled back, sorely rubbing the side of his jaw, and he whispered, "Mukuro?"

"I'm sick and tired of it all!" Mukuro shouted. "I'm tired of the pain! I'm tired of the loneliness! I'm tired of the love! Dino, you make one more remark about me, and I'll punch you so hard that you pass out and never wake up!" Dino stared at him, shocked, and Mukuro quivered, weak from all of the stress, before throwing the cape on the ground and storming away to his room. The tamer reached out, and took the cape off the ground. The material was damp, hinting that Mukuro had been crying on it for a long time.

"Poor guy," he sighed.

_3:00 AM The Next Morning, In Crimson Forest..._

"Did thou enjoy a pleasant interaction with thy former mate?" Basil questioned, placing a body beside Hibari. The elite winced to see that his mate had hunted a young merman.

"Two requests, Basil," he said. "Call him Mukuro, not 'my former mate.' Second, don't hunt merpeople or werewolves and the like. Not after what we've been through." The young vampire sighed.

"Wilt thou still partake in tonight's dinner?"

"No, I'm sorry," Hibari muttered. "I'd feel sick if I ate that." The tan-haired vampire left, and traded his catch with Lancia's, returning to Hibari with a pair of pidgeons.

"It's not merpeople, but it'll do," he grunted. Hibari sighed, and reached out, petting the tan hair.

"Come on, Basil, what's wrong?" he murmured. The other looked away, and Hibari bit his lip. "Basilicum Arpeggio the Fifth," he said in a warning tone. Basil glanced at him. _"Talk to me."_

The young vampire turned back towards Hibari. "Well, I supposest I art just the tiniest bit jealous," he admitted. "Lord Hibarin, I think I may have made a mistake..."

"In drinking Mukuro's blood?" Hibari asked, causing his mate's blue eyes to widen considerably. "Yeah. I could taste it, so it wasn't hard to figure out. Basil, never think that you've made a mistake with me. Regret is a weakling's emotion. Besides... It tastes splendid." The younger vampire's eyes became narrow and fierce, and he swept in, then bit down on Hibari's neck. The aristocrat immediately realized his mistake in complimenting the taste of the hunter, and he winced as his mate used blood trade as punishment for his actions.

"My Lord, please, do not tell me you still...," Basil trailed off, then gazed into Hibari's eyes. "Share blood with all of the others before you go anywhere."

Hibari gave a small nod. "Don't worry, Basil... I'm not going to leave you."

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Italy Branch- Werewolf Enclosure- 6:00 PM Two Days Later..._

"Ah-!" choked the female as Shamal yanked her out from her cage. "You little bastards! What do you want?" she growled, her bushy, blue tail lashing back and forth as she looked up at the tamers.

"I'm sorry, pretty little lady," Shamal said, a silly grin on his face. "Reborn just noted that he was ready for you."

"What?"

"Ooh, Lal, I'm so jealous," said Bianchi. "Getting to go to Japan... Say hi to Hayato for me!"

The blue-haired werewolf yowled in distress as she was hauled off and into a box, and she squirmed about inside it, hissing as she threw her fist into the box. Even though her left arm was plated with steel, the punch still hurt, and she hissed, pulling down her heat sensing goggles so that she could at least see where she was going.

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Centaur Enclosure- 9:00 the Same Night..._

Reborn sat beneath the large tree of the centaur enclosure, his head in his hands. Everything about the perfect Science Center he created was no longer perfect, and the whole of it was crashing down. He never intended to turn his tamers against him with the news of vampire slavery, nor had he meant wrong when he tried to put down vicious creatures. He didn't know how to tame these creatures, or how to treat them when he didn't know how they would respond to him. And so, in fear of being stricken, Reborn always struck first.

"Reborn...?"

The boss looked up, to see the young bull centaur who had put him at ease every so often. "Lambo...," he sighed. He stood up, and gave the halfbreed a brief hug, muttering, "What do I do about this mess? I'm not sure what the others want from me anymore."

"Well, I suppose it all comes down to kindness," Lambo replied, reaching up, and timidly brushing his hand over Reborn's cheek. "As far as I've heard, you come off as being kind of mean."

Reborn groaned, and as Lambo took the fedora off of his head, he replied, "I don't know any other way to be! Gah, all I want is for this SCSB to be at its best! If we don't have enough money, we can't feed ourselves, let alone the creatures here! And now we're getting a female werewolf from Italy! I don't even know what we'll do with her- we already have so many creatures!" Lambo put Reborn's fedora on his own head, and stepped back.

"My mama used to tell me to put myself in the other one's place. You be the blonde tamer, all right?"

The boss sighed, "Okay. Eh... oh, Reborn, these creatures are our friends."

Lambo held out his hand as if holding a gun, and he stomped a forehoof on the ground. "These are wild beasts, Dino! They are not our equals, and they never will be! They don't have feelings! They just act on impulse! They're monsters, and they deserve to die!"

Reborn gaped. "Do I really sound like that?" he groaned. Lambo nodded. "Damn," Reborn cursed. "You've got a point, Lambo. Thanks for helping me." The bull-centaur grinned, and came close. The boss met him in a kiss, and the two embraced once more, Reborn making a point of teasing at Lambo's horns as he leaned against the halfbreed.

He knew that something would have to change soon, and he was willing to be the one to initiate the change, because things couldn't go on like this for any longer. He had to change the path fate had chosen for him. He refused to be 'the bad guy' any longer. And he was grateful to Lambo for being the innocent, pure heart he needed to see in order to change his ways. But then, the boss remembered Yuni's words. She had alerted him to the fact that vampire hunters- not the ones who shot, but the 'collecters'- offered a lot of money to purchase a live slave. Reborn winced. He'd never exactly been one for slavery, but vampires were generally vicious, and they were, as mentioned before, plentiful. A pair of fangs would sell for millions, what would a live vampire sell for?

The two beings parted, and Reborn sighed, before muttering, "It's all right, Lambo. I knew something was wrong, and I knew I needed to stop it. I just didn't realize that the problem was..."

"... You?" Lambo completed. The boss gave a short nod, and leaned against the large tree behind him.

"Lambo, give me as much time as you can," he said. "Let me change myself for you." The bull-centaur flushed red, and gave a small nod, before trotting away, his bovine tail wagging almost like a dog's as he did so. Reborn stared after the hybrid, weaving his fingers together, and he whispered to himself, "Change needs to happen in order for anything to move forward."

_Snap!_

The boss turned to see Mukuro, who must've taken a few steps forward and broken a twig. "Mukuro?" the boss began.

"Boss, I need to request that you let me go out," the hunter said.

"To do what?" Reborn asked. The other trembled slightly, breaking into a grin creepier than the usual.

"I want to shoot some monsters."

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Ehehehe... Cliff'd ya...<p>

Please Review!


	45. The Surging

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-Five: The Surging**

_"I want to shoot some monsters."_

"No," Reborn said. "Mukuro, this needs to stop. I'm sorry, but if any more creatures in Crimson Forest are shot dead, either we'll be shut down, or you'll get thrown into prison. Either way, you'll be fired."

Mukuro chuckled darkly. "Don't you get it? I won't just shoot anyone. I'll shoot that weakling Basil, and Hibarin, too, while I'm at it!" Reborn's eyes widened considerably when he saw a tear roll down the hunter's cheek.

"You need to calm down," he said, stepping forward. Mukuro took a step back, not dropping his odd grin.

"It won't mean anything if just a couple of vampires die," he hissed. "I never should've let him into my life in the first place!" Suddenly, the boss came to a theory. He walked up to the other, and reached forward, then placed his thumb on Mukuro's cheek, before pushing his thumb into the skin, drawing back the hunter's upper lip. He frowned, seeing that his theory had been wrong. The hunter had not been mutated into a vampire. No, this insanity was something past that.

_This_ was the insanity of a lost love.

_Science Center of Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Outside of the Center- Morning, The Next Day..._

Dino walked outside upon hearing a vaguely familiar voice, and he saw Verde, pulling along a crate that seemed to be emitting a number of angry noises. "This is Lal Mirch," Verde said. "She'll be the last one coming here for a while."

"Let me out of this damn thing!" came a cry from inside the crate. Dino took pity on the poor creature, and stepped over to the crate.

"Hello?" he called. "Lal Mirch?" The scuffling from inside slowly stopped.

"Who the hell are you?"

"My name is Dino. I'm one of the tamers here at the Japan branch."

"Feh! Don't try to get friendly with me, tamer!" the werewolf snarled from inside. "I know you're just like all the others! Disgusting humans who think of us as subspecies!" The blonde tamer felt the pity swelling in his chest, and he glanced to Verde.

"I can handle her, don't worry," he said, taking the handle from Verde. He rolled the crate inside as the Italian scientist left, and once Dino had taken the crate over to the entrance of the all-inclusive enclosure, he began to pull off the cover, and he soon succeeded, granting him his first look at the new werewolf. She was a beautiful, matured female, sporting long, blue hair and a bushy, white-tipped tail. Like the tail, her ears were also tipped white, and her cheek was adorned with what was either a red tattoo or a scar, Dino couldn't tell. Her soft eyes blazed with anxiety as she gazed up at the tamer, and the blonde inevitably had a thought.

_She looks like Mother._

Dino shook his head, blushing, and reached out his hand. "I'm so sorry you were kept in this thing for so long. Some people just don't understand the delicacy of a werewolf's system." Lal Mirch sighed, and gave a nod, taking Dino's hand. For a werewolf, he noted, her hands were quite soft and warm. The tamer helped her into the enclosure, and immediately, the werewolf perked up. The tamer was unlucky enough to see the reason why.

"Jill?"

"Lal?"

The two werewolves ran to each other, and embraced, before starting to wrestle about like a couple of pups. Dino watched, a twinge of jealousy emerging from within his chest as they rolled about, when he caught sight of Mammon's face from across the enclosure. The gleam of tears stained his pale cheeks, and he retreated, tail tucked between his legs. Dino sighed.

"It must be nature's way," he muttered, closing the door to the enclosure.

_Meanwhile, inside the Enclosure..._

Xanxus smirked, licking his lips. He'd seen the flicker of jealousy in the tamer's expression, and he knew that there was now a way to show Dino just how much it burned to be losing a loved one. He reached an arm around Squalo's sleeping form, and gave a noise similar to a purr as he fantasized about the look that Dino's face would soon sport.

In the center of the enclosure, Rasiel quickly remembered Mammon, and he slowly backed away from Lal Mirch. "Uh... Lal...?" he began. "Could you... come with me for a moment?"

Confused, the blue-haired female followed her former mate, and Rasiel approached Bel and Fran. "Hey, guys, where'd Mammon go?" he asked.

"Where else?" Fran replied, his tone flat. "He bolted the moment he realized you didn't really love him, y'big jerk." Rasiel groaned, reaching up and tugging on his ears.

"Daaaaammmmnnnn!" he groaned.

"Who's Mammon?" Lal Mirch asked, her eyes glinting with a tint of anger. Rasiel sighed, and turned back to his mate, his eyes filled with apologetic sentiments "Lal, my dear," he started, his ears flat, "I was certain that I was never going to see you again. I mourned you like I would a death, but then..."

"Then you found someone to replace me," the long-haired werewolf completed, pulling her heat-sensing goggles over her eyes so that her former mate may not witness her tears. "I understand," she lied. Rasiel reached to take the female's hands, but she pulled away from him. "Jill," she began, stepping back. "I don't want you to make it worse. Go find your Mammon, and comfort him. I don't need it." Rasiel could only pout for a few moments, for a timid hand brushed over his wrist, as if shy to take it. Upon turning, the princely werewolf discovered Mammon, who had come back out of longing "Um... Jill?" Mammon murmured. "I... uh..."

The blonde placed a hand on the other's shoulder. "It's all right, Mammon. 'M here for you."

"... If you need to mourn her again... please, feel free," the purple-haired werewolf replied. Rasiel nodded, and stalked away, his tail low as he dismissed his current mate. Mammon stared after him for a short amount of time, and an urge that he'd buried since coming to the SCSB surfaced once more. He felt the need to collect money now more than ever before, for now, he felt alone. He hissed to himself, and moved into a bush where Hibari had once buried something. Knowing it had to be valuable, Mammon clawed at the dirt for a while, and soon found the object.

The fangs of Hibari Aki Kurou III were then in his grasp, and thus the werewolf once more began his habit of hoarding valuables. Years ago, Mammon had been a thief, snatching family heirlooms and precious jewels and gold. He never realized it was wrong. He didn't even know that his hoarding was the reason for Mukuro Rokudo to hunt him. All he knew was greed when in that state. And that was something no prince could help with.

_Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Outside- 10:00 PM That Night..._

Mukuro sat outside beneath the stars, Dino right beside him. "You sure he'll come out?" Mukuro murmured.

"If he's around, of course he will," the blonde answered, taking out a pin. He pricked his finger with it, then passed it to the hunter as a few tiny droplets of blood surfaced on his index finger. "This is how I think vampires should be 'hunted,'" the tamer sighed. "Lure them out with your own blood... you could even befriend them before taking them inside."

"Perhaps," Mukuro grunted as he stuck himself with the pin. The two waited, and were soon rewarded. Two vampires emerged from the shrubbery, but Dino and the hunter quickly discovered that neither of them were the vampire they were looking for. Basil was out with another vampire, a stocky male with long, messy, green hair and dark eyes.

"Oh? Arpeggio, look there, two lurers," said the vampire. "This is something I've been dying to show you and the Lord, but you can teach him yourself, right?"

"But of course," Basil replied. "Lord Daisy, these two art from the Science Center... Is this truly all right?"

"Indeed," said Daisy, "I've dealt with the honey-eyed fool over there before. Watch me, and handle the other."  
>Basil gave a short nod, although he was nervous to attack the one whose blood ran within his veins. "Uh... Dino?" Mukuro murmured. "Is this part of the plan?"<p>

"N-no...," Dino replied. "This isn't..."

Daisy rushed at the blonde tamer, took him up against the door behind them, and clamped down on Dino's collarbone, purposely piercing a nerve, and the tamer gasped at the pain. "B-Basil!" he cried. "Help me!"

The vampire with dusty tan hair didn't want to help. These people had kept him tormented for years, and now, standing right before him was the one who had tortured him the most: Mukuro Rokudo. Trembling, and helplessly pushed into a corner, the hunter was now Basil's to hurt. The young vampire stalked forward, and placed his arms over Mukuro's shoulders, before leaning in, and pinpointing the hunter's most sensitive pressure point. He bit down hard, and Mukuro yelped, tensing immediately. Dino grabbed a hold on Mukuro's wrist, and the hunter glanced at him. The tamer mouthed an apology, and the hunter nodded, his eyes watering. He had been cruel to these creatures, and now, they were exacting their revenge on him. It was so painfully clear to the hunter that he almost felt as though he deserved this.

Dino, on the other hand, now remembered the vampire before him. Daisy, or rather, Daisy of the Undead, was a vampire who loathed humans more than even Basil. Dino's previous experience with the vampire was one which he wished he hadn't forgotten. As one of the rogue vampires that had escaped the SCSB's clutches, the green-haired male had been introduced to death on many occassions. He was a mutt of the vampire race, filled with the blood of thousands of different clans, hence his lack of a solid full name. They called him Daisy in recognition of his power.

_Daisy._

He had been found in a field of the bright, sunny flowers, covered in the blood of many, but none of the blood was his own. He was passed out, covered in wounds that would never leak his own DNA, his mouth hanging open, displaying the tainted fangs that decorated each space in his mouth. He was a vampire among vampires. He was a monster among monsters. The most disgusting, corrupted 'daisy' that vampire society may ever know.

A vampire that had once been drained of all blood, then been given thousands of different blood donations to keep him alive. Daisy of the Undead, and it was he who now drank Dino's blood. The tamer hated the feeling of those multiple fangs that sent the electric pain shooting up his spine, disgracing the polite nature of most vampires. Daisy was the one exception to Dino's pacifism.

Just as he thought that, the undead vampire stepped back, blood trickling down his chin. He spat a mouthful of the precious liquid out into the grass. "Human blood," he muttered. "Disgusting as ever. Come, Arpeggio."

Basil stepped back from Mukuro, and quickly cleaned off his chin, giving the hunter an almost apologetic glance before he followed after Daisy. The two humans passed out beside each other, to be carried inside by Reborn later. Basil caught up to Daisy, and he trembled, his innocent, blue eyes filled with uncertainty. "Daisy?"

"Yes?" Daisy answered, stopping as he looked back at Basil with those deep, black eyes that had softened since they left the humans. "... No... nothing," Basil murmured. "It's nothing."

"... Basilicum Arpeggio V," the mutt vampire husked, taking a hold of Basil's shoulders and bringing him in close. The young vampire gasped as the cold, pale lips melded into his own, and an almost pleasant was shared as the two of them kissed. As Daisy slowly backed off, Basil felt a sinful contentness emerging within him. He hadn't felt that kind of loving lip-contact in a long time, not even from his mate. The young vampire was ashamed of himself for being all right with Daisy's sudden move, but even so, he knew that there was a very distinct reason. It was because Daisy gave him the feeling that he was the only one that it was for, whereas Basil knew that his current mate was less... loyal.

"Daisy... um..."

"Shh," the other answered, "don't tell."

Basil blushed as the other began to walk again, and he followed, his heart throbbing as he daydreamed of getting more affection. The two stopped at the tree where they had hid their prey, and Daisy took one end of the fallen merperson while Basil took the other. "Uh, Daisy, this is wonderful, but Lord Hibarin hast expressed distaste in dining on merperson meat."

"Well, you like it, don't you?"

"... Yes... however..."

"Look, Arpeggio. Since he took five in that cave, he'll eat with Lancia tonight. Let's dine together on this stupid fish, all right?"

Basil hesitated for a moment, but the temptation for him was too great. "All right. Yes. Let us dine together on the fish." Daisy laughed in a way that Basil hadn't heard before, and the young vampire smiled, his eyes shining with life once again.

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><p>Meanwhile, Hibari lied in the cave, his arms folded behind his head. Oh, how he wished he was back in that Science Center. He could feel the bond between him and Mukuro so vividly that the pulse running in his body could be seen through the skin of his wrist, rippling, writhing about as if to tell him that he didn't belong out here anymore. Hibari already had a few marks due to scratching at the blood that boiled inside him. He hoped that it wouldn't continue for much longer.<p>

_For Basil's sake._

**-End Chapter**

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><p>All right, <strong>VIDEO UPDATE:<strong> I'm working on it, still. Any voice acting roles or other fanart should be gotten to me by** June 9**, Mukuro's birthday, at the very latest.

Please Review, I'm going through some serious crap lately!


	46. The Furious

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-six: The Furious**

_Crimson Forest- Japan- In the Cave- 11:00 PM The Same Night..._

Hibari watched as Lancia stepped into the cave with him, dragging a rabbit along with him. "My Lord," Lancia greeted. "Your friend Basil is dining with Daisy tonight."

"... Huh."

Lancia grew concerned. He could see the elite's rolling skin; the boiling, bruising flesh that had already begun to sport a shade of light red, the color of sickness in a vampire. Red represented fever, or, as the case with Hibari, blood that would create an agitation when in a body that did not welcome it. When a vampire was subconciously longing to be elsewhere, or unaware of the fact that they were not satisfied by their current mate, the heart would act as though trying to protest against the blood. It would contract and expand in an almost angry manner, forcing blood through the webs of veins and arteries as it worked to awaken the mind and body to the subconcious sentiments so that its need may be quenched.

The pain of this was one that typically led to biting oneself, or forcing others to take the blood. And on multiple cases, that had led to death from bloodloss. Lancia was amazed that the elite could be still when affected by the violent heartbeatings, and he reached forward, petting the older vampire's head. "My Lord?"

Hibari sighed, indifferent. His mind was trying to focus on the hazy memory of spending time with Mukuro, but every time his thoughts wandered in that direction, the elite could feel the slap of the other's hand on his head, and the shocks administered to his throat at the hunter's command. His aching heart threatened to fail him should he stay in this dreadful state of being, but he couldn't even summon the will to focus on that. He heaved a groan, and reached up, covering his steely gray eyes for a few moments, whining softly from the pain that spiked through his warm arm. "Lancia," he huffed. "Can you keep a huge secret?"

"Yes, sir," Lancia answered. Hibari explained to Lancia the reason for his feverish state, making sure that Lancia knew every fact before he admitted to the returning blood bond.

"I don't know how it was completely restored," he groaned. "Mukuro must've done something, I dunno. Basil's blood tastes different, too... But Lancia, if I stay here much longer, I just know that I won't make it. Then, no side will be satisfied..."

Lancia gave a slow nod, and glanced back out where Daisy and Basil were talking to each other. "You know of Daisy's background, right, sir?"

"Of course," Hibari answered. "It was back when news traveled by bird that it happened. I found out only the day after. It really was stunning to find that he'd come back after losing every drop of his blood."

"Yeah. It is stunning, and Daisy has hated humans since that incident. Your mate, if I may say so, also seems to hate humans."

"Indeed," Hibari sighed. "They aren't so bad, though," he sighed. "They're just a little ignorant."

"Sir... um..." Lancia knew something, but he didn't want to let it slip past his lips. It was something Daisy had confided in him. He was trusted to keep it secret. "You can have all of this," Lancia said, pushing the rabbit closer to the elite. "I'm not hungry."

"Thanks," Hibari sighed, taking the limp body and beginning to steal the blood from it. Lancia sighed, and gazed back outside, anxiety in his narrow, black eyes. What should happen if Basil develop the same emotions for Daisy as the undead already bore for him? What should happen to the last living Hibari? If he was going to take a hunter as his mate, the Hibari clan would be in ruins forever.

_None of them would be left for the vampire society to rely on._

Just beyond a wooden wall in the cave, Ken and Chikusa were also sharing a pleasant dinner. Rather, pleasant for them, but not to any others who might see the two of them. Ken was gnawing on a deer bone, drooling as he chewed up the marrow, and Chikusa sat beside him, stroking the light blonde ears as he drained said dear of its blood. The two had been in a sort of awkward relationship for a while now, but while Ken was very public about it, Chikusa would rather they just hang out when in a completely enclosed area.

The vampire often wondered if his half-bred friend thought of him with any form of true love. He knew that his feelings for Ken were loving, even though he'd never admit it to the hybrid. "Ken," he murmured as his hand caressed the other's cheek. "You should move on. That bone's starting to look disgusting."

"Bah! Killjoy Kaki-pii!" Ken protested, starting to dig a hole. After placing the femur bone in the earth with all of his other treats, Ken began to beg for another bone from his informal mate. Chikusa sighed, and swiftly skinned the foreleg he had drained, before pulling out a moist bone. The hybrid assisted him in this task, and was soon chewing on the fresh bone with his lustful, steely fangs. Chikusa might have blushed had that not been strictly against his policy. Ken's fangs were mostly canine in appearance, but the grooves in the longest, top fangs made them so much more erotic. The halfbreed's instincts were so twisted that they made almost a fetish of their own. Ken wanted to gnaw on something, make it last, but at the same time, he wanted to drain his food of life and destroy it.

It really was _wonderful_.

Suddenly, a loud squeal of a noise came from outside, so Hibari and Lancia peeked out from the cave. It seemed as though Daisy had cut himself on a jutting out merperson bone. "Ugh," the undead grunted, "sorry... Basil, would you mind?"

Hibari's eyes blazed when he saw color emerge in Basil's cheeks. "I suppose I couldst...," Basil whispered, reaching to take Daisy's wrist.

"Hold it," Hibari said, stalking out of the cave, and grabbing a rough hold on Daisy's wrist. "You haven't let me drink yet, Daisy. Surely, you must be suffering." Hibari came in, about to punish the green-haired male, when he smelled something odd. There was a sweet, almost human-like scent mixed into Daisy's blood, and Hibari soon identified it as someone even stranger: Dino Cavallone. "Daisy...? Did you... drink a human's blood?" Basil's face became flooded with guilt, and the elite turned to him, his eyes proudly displaying the betrayal in his heart. _"Basilicum Arpeggio the V,"_ he began in a dangerous tone.

"Hold up, Hibari Natsu Kyoya II," Daisy snapped, standing. "Who ever said Basil needs to be your slave? I think you need to _calm down_, and_ think about falling out of love with Basil!"_

Hibari's expression turned immediately to one of utter shock and anger. Since when was Undead Daisy allowed to order him about? He was an aristocrat! He was elite! He was Basil's mate, and he was the son of two amazing vampires. No one ordered him around. No one was allowed to. And since when did Daisy resort to using his full name in the first place? Who did he think he was?

But his blood compelled him to obey. Hibari's thoughts were cloyed by images of the other whom he'd loved. He could never be with the hunter- he knew that! After their last encounter... the fright and distrust that pulsed through Hibari's nerves when the vampire hunting gun was pointed directly at him. He could've died by Mukuro's hand- the thought was so horrifying that the elite could no longer tell whether he loved Mukuro with a passion, or feared him with a vengence.

"You know what, Daisy?" Hibari said, standing up. "No matter how hard you try, you won't be able to change Basil's mind. True love can't be broken. Besides..." His eyes turned to the wound on the other's thumb. "Mere tricks like that will only diminish his trust. _Your dirty, mixed blood will never amount to mine."_

With that, the elite turned and left, intending to hunt on his own for a while. He moved through Crimson Forest, his steely eyes growing teary as he thought of his mates. He hated having to hurt either of them, but he realized quickly that his hesitance was only hurting them further. He ran for a while, making sure he was far out of the camp's range, and he soon came up to a pond- presumably from where the merpeople were being hunted. He sat down on a fallen log, and groaned, hiding his face in his hands. "What am I supposed to do?" he groaned. "I'm just going to lose them both at this rate..."

"Hello, what brings you to my pond?" questioned a deep voice as someone emerged from the pond. Hibari stood, startled, but slowly sat back down upon realizing it was a merman. "More hunting?"

"No, no," Hibari sighed. "I'm sorry, mister... uh..."

"I don't have a name," said the merman. "But since you don't seem to be hostile, I'll grant you the knowledge that nearby creatures call me the Phantom Knight."

"All right then, uh... Phantom Knight...," Hibari began. "It's all a bunch of trouble with my romance life."

"Romance, hm? I've been around the block when it comes to such a thing." Phantom Knight eased himself up onto the shore, and leaned back, lifting his smooth tail up and gently slapping the surface of the water with the shiny, black limb. His hair was cut into a single layer, all black as night, and his eyes were golden, almost, gleaming with hunger. A belt hung around his waist, four wooden swords attached to it. The only thing that turned Hibari off about him was his set of rather thick eyebrows.

Even so, the vampire knew that this older merman was to be trusted, and he relaxed, sighing, "What's your experience with it?"

"Same as any old merman," Phantom Knight replied in a smooth tone. "I found a beautiful mermaid named Bluebell, and almost immediately fell for her."

"Bluebell?" Hibari repeated, a small lump forming in his throat.

"Yeah," the other answered. "It was a few years back. I was still young, and she was just coming of age. But only hours before I was going to make my mating proposal to her, I heard the splashing from the surface. As I peeked out of the weeds, I saw her trapped in a net, unconcious, her hands clutching her stomach. I knew she'd been poisoned, and I knew she was going to be caught by humans. But you know, boy? I was a coward. And I didn't save her. Once I realized that she was gone, I did the only thing my instincts would allow me to. I left the old pond behind, and moved in way over here." The vampire knew better than to open his mouth about Bluebell's whereabouts. Phantom Knight would probably be enraged to discover that she was alive, and heartbroken that she hadn't written. And since Fuuta was now expressing affection for Bluebell, it wouldn't be good for PK to come back to her. "Do you know how it feels to want someone you can never be with, young vampire?" the merman asked.

"Yes...," Hibari sighed. "I know that feeling all too well. You see..." Hibari explained his complications to the older swordsman, and at the end of his story, the merman had his arms folded, listening intently.

"A vampire to a hunter, hm?" he murmured, sounding suprised. "This is quite the tale, vampire. I can't wait to see how it ends."

"The end doesn't even feel like it's in sight," Hibari muttered.

"Let me tell you something, kid," Phantom Knight answered, leaning back and staring straight into the vampire with his cold, golden eyes. "When in doubt, follow your heart. Because no matter how much suffering comes with making that choice, you will never have to regret it." The elite considered what the merman had told him for while, and gave a slow nod.

"Thank you, Phantom Knight," he replied.

"And... kid, if you ever hear word of what happened to my Bluebell, let me know, all right?" the merman sighed. "If there's any possibility of her being alive... any trace of her happiness anywhere... I want to know."

The lump in the vampire's throat swelled up slightly, but he forced himself to swallow it. "I'll let you know," he replied.

"Oh, one more thing, vampire," Phantom Knight said, starting to ease himself back into the water. "Keep an eye out for trolls. There's been a real nasty one around these parts as of late. Calls 'imself Leviathan."

"A troll, huh?" Hibari groaned. "Ugh. Thought those things were extinct." The sullen merman sank back down into the water with a chuckle, and Hibari stood up, reaching a hand up and placing it over his heart.

"My heart's desire, huh?" he sighed. "If only I could draw a clear answer from it."

* * *

><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- All-Inclusive Enclosure- 5:00 AM The Next Day...<em>

Dino walked into the enclosure, having heard distressed werewolf howling, and he ran in when he realized what it was over. "Lal!" he cried, seeing the werewolf who had blood and gashes all over her body. "Who did this to you...?" he said, holding her up with an arm around her shoulders. She just leaned against him, closing her eyes, breathing heavily. Dino clenched his teeth, fury rushing through his body, and he picked the injured female werewolf up in his arms, then began to carry her out. But, instead of taking her to the scientists, who would draw their blood and observe instead of helping, he rushed her back into his room. He laid her down on his bed, and went into his closet, taking out bandages. "Don't worry," he murmured as he returned to her. "My father was a medicine vampire."

Still inside the enclosure, Xanxus greedily licked up the blood that tainted his fingers, his eyes enflamed with satisfaction. "How does it feel, tamer?" he mused. "Does it hurt? Hehehe..." Squalo looked at his mate with pity.

"Xanxus, you shouldn't have done that," the merman sighed. "What if they move us back into the other enclosure?"

"I won't care," the vampire hissed, his lips fixed in an evil smirk. "I won't care, as long as I'm with you."

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Phew! All right, everyone!<p>

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	47. The Insolent

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-seven: The Insolent**

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- The Tamers' Bedroom- 5:08 AM<em>

Dino was wrapping bandages about Lal Mirch's wounds, worry clouding his eyes as he worked. Seeing the blood that soaked into the white bandages made him feel sick. He knew that he was going to punish the one who did this to her harshly, but he didn't quite know why. He just sat on the bed, uncertain, and hurt. _Who would do such a thing to this pretty werewolf?_ He couldn't help but let the worry block out everything else. He wanted to protect Lal from this other creature, at any cost.

The door to the bathroom opened, and Lussuria stepped out, only wearing a towel around his waist and one about his shoulders - clearly just out of the shower. "Hmm? Dino? Hun, what's...?"

"She's hurt bad," the blonde whispered.

Lussuria solemnly sat on the other side of the bed, and sighed, "She looks awful; any clue who might've done this?"

Dino thought for a while, before an idea emerged, and his eyebrows creased as he muttered, "I bet it was Xanxus."

"Xanxus?" the older man repeated. "But I thought he'd changed since Squalo..."

"We'd all like to think that," Dino replied in a bitter tone. "Unfortunately, he's started to come after me. I suppose he just decided to take out the rage on poor Lal here."

Lussuria watched as the other tamer's expression became angry, and worried all the same. Sighing, the one with the shaved head took the blonde's hand, and softly massaged the back of his palm. "It's okay, hun," he whispered. "She'll be all right. Now, why didn't you take her to the infirmary?"

"That wouldn't help," the younger muttered. Lussuria gave a gentle smile, and patted his co-worker on the head, before starting out of the room.

"I'll take your shift for you, hun, so go ahead and care for her." The older man left, and Dino looked back at the injured werewolf which lay on his bed. Only moments later did she begin to open her eyes and sit up.

"Ugh... tamer? Where...?"

"Lal... you're okay," Dino sighed, relieved. "I'm so glad..." The werewolf blushed as the tamer took her into a gentle embrace, holding her wounded body in a cradling hug.

The female weakly pushed the blonde back, and muttered, "Tamer... what's up with you?" Dino smiled at her, his eyes watery, and he gave her another soft squeeze.

"Call me Dino, 'kay, Lal? Would you do that?" he cooed, starting to stroke her ears. The werewolf blushed, and, noting how much the blonde hair reminded her of her former mate's, she nuzzled against him. The pain of the wounds inflicted on her didn't really hurt any more when held in the arms of the tamer. He was warm, gentle, and kind. Even though the werewolf had never been intrested in a joyful fellow such as him, Lal found her indifferent, tsundere heart growing just a bit excited within his hands. She closed her eyes, and took a deep breath, shuddering at the electric pain from her wounds.

"All right, then," she rasped. _"Dino."_

And he smiled.

* * *

><p><em>Crimson Forest- Japan- Murky Pond- 6:00 AM<em>

Phantom Knight was resting in his small pool, looking back at the young merpeople that swam about beneath the surface. The pretty, young faces, the songs - both happy and sad, the laughter, and the graceful tails; those were all things that the older, black-haired swordsman treasured. These weren't his children; they lived at the pond long before he came up to it- as hatchlings. As PK spent his time wallowing in his emotions at the muddy bottom of the water, they grew without him, and they welcomed him into their tiny clan, as family.

Unfortunately, since the vampires were so close, those little ones were destined to die. Phantom Knight watched them go, plagued by his cowardly personality and regret, and he let the vampire society pick them off one at a time, subconciously aware of the fact that a part of his soul died with each of them. Now, only three remained in the pond other than himself. And while he was aware of this fact, he knew that he would not be able to save them. PK looked down at the four swords that were held by his belt, and he frowned. Those swords were as much of a lie as his own veneer. He was not strong. He wasn't courageous. He was built on lies, and, at heart, he knew it. The older merman sighed, and drew one of the foursome of blades out of its wooden sheath, before holding it at the ready, and cringing.

_Lies_.

Dark, twisted wrath circled his mind like convection currents: growing hot, rising painfully, before cooling and settling, only to grow to a burning temperature later on. Self loathing and repulsion forced him to be trapped, eternally punishing himself for his own fear. Ever since that day- the day when he couldn't summon the will to save the one he loved, he had made himself into a coward.

_How do you escape the web of lies?_

Another merperson would soon be plucked fresh from the pond by the lustful fangs of a vampire, and Phantom Knight would still watch, plagued by his fear. _There was no escape._

* * *

><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- Old Centaur Enclosure- 12:00 AM<em>

Reborn sighed, stroking the short mane his lover bore. The bull-centaur leaned against him, his bovine tail swishing about happily as a blush emerged in his cheeks. "Reborn... Hayato will occasionally ride on Takeshi's back... I was wondering if you ever wanted to do that with me..."

"Oh, Lambo," Reborn sighed, "you're so young. How can you possibly carry me?" Lambo flushed a bit red, wringing his hands together.

"Well...," he began, closing more than one eye for a change, "since I was little, I've always had a really weird condition... I can only age at will."

"What? Then... you could still be five? Or forty, if you wanted?"

"I can only age up to ten years in a year," the bull-centaur said. "Likewise, when I go ten years without aging, I age one year. When I was five, I wanted to be tall and handsome. But when I got to this point... it was so scary that I didn't use it again. So now, I'm sixteen."

"Oh?" Reborn mused. "Come now, I've been concerned about our age difference so needlessly! Don't be afraid, all right, Lambo? Give yourself those ten years so that you can catch up to me." The boss took the hybrid's hand, and Lambo gulped, before closing his eyes. He willed himself to age ten years, and he could feel his bones thickening, his muscle widening, his intelligence getting a decent boost. As he stopped, he had reached twenty-six years of physical age.

He opened his eyes, and said, his voice shockingly deep, "Well?" Reborn took a step back, letting go of the halfbreed's hands. Lambo quickly realized that it was because they had become the same height. His facial features had matured, his legs had grown sleek and bright, his tail had elongated, and his coat now had a smoother transition from human waist to horse chest where the fur had thickened. His horns, even, gained a few ivory inches. The change was obvious.

"Wow...," the boss rasped, feeling an unusual increase in his heartbeat. "Lambo, you look..."

"How do I look?" Lambo urged.

Reborn wanted to tell the hybrid how beautiful he was, but he was still paralyzed by shock. As such, instead of appealing to the emotions Lambo could feel, he embraced the halfbreed, instead satisfying the physical need that would later lead to heartbreak. He leaned in, intending to deepen the affection with a kiss, when...

"Oh, _boss~!"_

Startled by the feminine voice that broke the peaceful silence, Reborn stumbled backwards, and looked to the gate. Lussuria stood there, his arms over the fence, grinning cheerfully. "What do you want?" Reborn snapped. The tamer giggled, then hopped the fence, causing Lambo to shamefully trot away as he walked over.

"I just wanted to say hello to dear Lambo- he really is a _cutie_. But never mind that, I have a more important question."

"Hm?"

"Dino recovered quickly from the vampire attack lately, _however_, Mukuro is less fortunate. He's still shut up in his room,_ the poor darling!"_ he announced.

"Hm," the boss sighed. "If it's the physical trauma, let him sleep. If he's getting emotional, wake him up and get him back on duty. Let Dino rest for a bit, though, I don't want him up and about yet. Mukuro's stronger."

"All right." Thankfully, the older tamer decided to hold his tongue about Dino and Lal Mirch. "I'll go check in on Mukuro, I_ suppose."_ The tamer left, and moved up to Mukuro's room, before knocking on the door, and from behind it, a weak 'come in' was soon heard. Lussuria walked inside, to find the hunter all comfortable on his bed, his face pale. The tamer sat down on Mukuro's bed, and cooed, "Are you okay, _honey?"_

Mukuro shook his head, closing his eyes. "I want him back so bad," he rasped. "I want Hibarin back."

The tamer's eyes became clouded with sympathy, and, inevitably, his motherly instincts kicked in. He reached up to the hunter, and began to soothingly rub his side, murmuring, "It's all right, _dear_. If he loves you - and he quite _obviously_ does - he will return to your side."

"No one can be sure of that," the hunter replied.

"Yes, hun, it's _obvious_," Lussuria stressed. "I watched them, too. Hibarin never looked at Basil the same way he looked at you. Not even during the send off." Mukuro looked up into the tamer's eyes, revealing the moist within his own, and he reached up, almost as if he... _No_. There was _no way_ he wanted a hug, but the tamer couldn't resist. Open arms were much too tempting. He came in, and embraced the hunter, murmuring, "It's okay, hun. You're going to be with him again _soon_, all right? I'll look for him with you."

"All right," Mukuro mumbled, hugging back. "Thanks, Lussuria."

"Mukuro," the tamer began, his voice somewhat threatening. "What do you call me?"

The hunter chuckled to himself, and whispered, "Thank you, _mother Luss."_

"That's right, _hun_, and _don't_ forget it."

_Meanwhile..._

Byakuran stood, and stretched his wings, his breath slowly calming. He and Kikyo had at last expressed physical love for each other, and his entire body was still hot from it. He smiled, looking back at the centaur who was asleep in the grasses. "You made a wise choice, Kikyo," he cooed. "I'll take care of you."

He trotted away, tail swishing with satisfaction, when he noticed Dino speaking to Xanxus a distamnce away, or rather, yelling at him. "You don't hurt women, all right? You just don't! There's a certain code of honor that all men follow, and the first and foremost rule is that things like this just don't happen!"

Xanxus stretched, and leaned back. "That's extremely old fashioned," he muttered. "Either way, it doesn't matter. As long as your throwing a fit, things have gone as planned."

"What?" Dino snarled. He gulped as the older vampire glared at him, and he sighed, "You're both going back into the underground cavern, all right? Don't try to get out of it."

"We won't," Squalo sighed, "sorry about Xanxus, tamer."

Dino glanced at him._ "Don't talk to me."_ With that, the tamer stood and left, leaving behind a triumphant Xanxus, as well as a somewhat hurt Squalo.

"There he goes!" Xanxus laughed. "And with that, I'm free of rivals."

"Boss," Squalo sighed. "You _really_ shouldn't have."

The vampire simply chuckled off the merman's frustration, smirking. Squalo was his, and his alone.

Dino, of course, was less amused. He returned to his room, to find Lal Mirch on the bed, rubbing her long, fluffed up tail and wincing to see the matted fur where blood had wetted it. "Well?" she asked as the tamer walked in.

"Yes, it was Xanxus," Dino sighed. "I'll return him and his mate to the underground cave as soon as I can."

"All right," she sighed, "well, thanks for your hospitality, Dino. I really appreciate it."

I'm glad you're not too badly wounded," Dino replied, reaching up and rubbing her ears. "You know, my adopted mother was a werewolf, so I suppose I sort of feel a natural kinship to you."

"Well, I served as an assassin for humans for a brief period of time, so I know what you're feeling," the female answered. Dino slowly flushed red, leaned in, and as he smiled, he was allowed to kiss the werewolf.

**-End Chapter**

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><p><strong>Video Update:<strong> Seriously need to get those voice acting roles in, otherwise I won't be able to include them. I've been talking about this video for too long- things need to start happening, yeah? PM me a link to any files, or ask me for my e-mail so that you can send them.

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	48. The Blinded

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-eight: The Blinded**

_Crimson Forest- Japan- Vampire Community- Two Days Later, 12:00 AM_

Mukuro and Lussuria lied beneath a bush, undetected, watching the group of vampires as they interacted with each other. "So _beautiful,"_ Lussuria cooed. "Aren't they all just_ so elegant?"_

The hunter nodded, his eyebrows furrowed as he stared into the cavern. He was positive that his former mate was in there, but he couldn't figure out why. But just before he had the chance to worry, the elite stalked out of the cavern. His skin was flushed to a pink color, perspiration glistening over his forehead, and his fangs could be seen as he panted. Mukuro prayed it wasn't arousal.

"Oh? Up already?"

The hunter trembled to recognize the vampire that had attacked Dino. Undead Daisy - that vampire was by no means safe, and he almost wanted to rush in to protect Hibari. "Yeah, I'm up," the ravenette muttered. "Shouldn't matter to you. Where's Basil?"

"Out getting moss to help cool you down," the other sighed. "In the mean time... let's talk about Basil, and his... hm... arrangements."

Hibari sat down on the opposite side of the undead male, his eyes glinting with anger. Like a cat, his body posture indicated quite clearly that he meant business. "Daisy, you know my condition all too well," Hibari growled, "but if you intend to take Basil away from me, be aware that I'm willing to fight for him."

"Ha! In your condition?" Daisy chuckled. "Look at yourself, Hibarin. You won't last much longer." As if clarifying that he knew Daisy's point, Hibari turned his head away, and defiantly spat a mouthful of his own blood into the grass.

"I realize that I'm in no condition to fight, especially against a mutt like you," he growled. "My blood has begun to pierce through every defense in its attempt to return to my first love. Unfortunately, I don't have weakness, let alone display it. I'm stronger than you think. And if your not careful, I'll take one of the bones from your recent meals and I'll stab it through your heart. A classic monster death for a classic monster."

"I would be a fool to think that a vampire of your blood doesn't choose his battles wisely," Daisy hissed, his pale lips fixed in a scowl. "Unfortunately for you, one who fights himself can't even come close to fighting another."

"You have yourself a challenge," Hibari growled, before breaking into a wide yawn, revealing the bloodstains on his tongue and fangs. "Ugh... but I'll take you on later. In the meantime... I must rest..." The elite returned to his cavern without another word, leaving Mukuro and Lussuria speechless.

"Wow, he looks pretty bad," murmured a new voice.

"Ken, be quiet."

Mukuro and Lussuria whirled around, to see two other creatures who seemed to have been spying from the bush. With both pairs shocked, the hunter covered the tamer's mouth, while the vampire did the same to his halfbreed friend. "How long have you two been here?" Chikusa muttered.

"Since the start of this incident. You two?" Mukuro whispered.

"Same," Chikusa sighed. "Look, we won't tell Daisy or Lord Hibarin, okay? Just get out of here as fast as you can. Basil will be back any second, and as far as tattle tales go, he's one of the worst."

"Deal," Mukuro answered. He and Lussuria began to head out, and as they left, the two awkward mates looked back at each other.

"Ken," Chikusa began. "When Daisy and Lord Hibarin have their match, we will inevitably have to choose a side. Which side should that be?"

Ken's werewolf ears drooped at the difficult question. "Uh...," he started, wringing his hands. "Well, we've been with Daisy for a real long time... but Hibarin is our leader... And frankly, I don't want to see Daisy try to steal away Hibarin's mate."

"I feel the same way," the glasses vampire answered, his voice saturated in relief. "I think we should take our master's side, what do you say?"

Ken laughed, somewhat nervously, before saying in a tiny voice, "I really want to taste his blood for myself first."

Chikusa nodded. "All right. It's not like he's in any condition to resist."

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, Basil was gathering moss with Lancia by the pond, his sky-blue eyes full of concern. "I don't understand... Lord Lancia, why would Lord Hibarin's blood boil? Art he not satisfied with me, even now? I cannot stand it..."<p>

"Basil, Hibarin is a very kind and pure vampire," Lancia answered. "Unfortunately, that means he has to make a lot of decisions that might hurt people he loves. He's trying very hard to keep you from being upset, Basil. See, if he didn't care about you, he'd already be gone."

Basil sighed, and nodded. "I know... I knowest how hard Lord Hibarin art trying... but...I can't help but wonder if he dost love me, or..." The young vampire didn't have time to finish. In the instant where he may have decided to give up on Hibari, another creature made a bigger, faster decision. In that fleeting moment, Phantom Knight, the merman, decided he would stand no more cowardice. He saw the vampires outside, and he believed they were there to hunt. He came up close to where the young vampire stood, then grasped his ankle, before yanking him back.

"Basil!" Lancia cried as the younger fell into the water. Phantom Knight thrashed his tail as he pulled the vampire down, and Basil thrashed about in the harsh grasp, his eyes wide with terror as the air was squeezed from his body by the increasing water pressure.

_This was it._

Basil knew from the day of his first hunt that he wasn't meant to survive in the world. He always knew he was weak. All of the other creatures seemed to despise him. Basil had been shredded by a werewolf, and trampled by a centaur. This wasn't the first time, either, that a merman had tried to drown him. The world didn't want him. Nobody wanted him.

_Not even Hibari Natsu Kyoya II._

Basil closed his eyes, now thrashing only in a feeble struggle to survive that he knew he couldn't win. It was so painfully clear. He had long overdone his time on the earth, and now, he was paying the price the only way he could. His lungs collapsed, his heart began to slow, and he closed his eyes, at last giving up.

Suddenly, two firm hands took him by the arms, and brought him close. Basil opened his bright, blue eyes in slivers, to see before him another vampire, with long, pine green hair whom he originally believed to be an angel. He embraced the other, and at last, death wasn't quite so painful. But as he thought that, he found himself tossed back onto solid ground, and he felt the chilling hands of his savior pushing at his chest, forcing him to cough out the water that had intruded on his system. The pain returned in a flash, and Basil forced himself to cough out the rest of the water, then, suddenly, he gasped, and air once more filled his lungs. The world was a cruel thing, after all.

It had given him another chance.

Basil found tears rushing to his eyes, and he let them come, because he hated how he was so often being thrown around by the universe, in and out of death at least once between every full moon! How much more suffering would he have to endure? "Basil." The voice was soft and relieved, almost as if it was happy that the young vampire was all right. But as he looked, it was not Hibari who had spoken his alias in such a gentle tone. No, it was Daisy. Daisy who had saved his life. Daisy who had brought him back. Daisy who cared. Not Hibari Natsu Kyoya II. The young vampire reached out, and hugged the older vampire tightly, coming in and piercing the skin on Daisy's neck. To most vampires, the blood from such a hybrid as Daisy would be so rotten that it made them cough and expel it from their body. But to Basil, it was just as good, if not better, than his Lord's pure blood. "Oh, Basil," Daisy husked as he felt the small pinch of Basil's fangs. "I feel the same way."

Lancia watched the two, startled. It wasn't good. Basil- innocent little Basil- committing the ultimate sin? And who would choose Undead Daisy after being presented the glorious, perfect body of an aristocrat? Who did that? The older vampire took the moss that he and Basil had been collecting, quickly soaked it in water, and ran. He ran as fast and hard as he could to return to the camp, because, as a vampire supporting of the aristocracy, it was his duty to report Basil's betrayal to his master. As he made his way into camp, he could hear Ken and Chikusa talking to M.M. not far away, but he also heard the heavy breathing that came from inside the cavern. He rushed into it, and quickly put the damp moss over his lord's forehead, placing a hand on the other's chest to indicate that he was there.

"Basil?" Hibari rasped, opening his eyes. He trembled, and sat upright, holding the moss to his forehead, muttering, "Lancia..."

"Yes, my Lord," Lancia murmured. "... Um... my Lord... I need to... tell you something..." Hibari looked up, and nodded for the other to speak. "Sir Basil has... found another mate."

Hibari took in the comment for a while, but soon lied back down, and closed his eyes. Then, as his face began to lose just a hint of its red color, he smiled.

* * *

><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- In the Hall- 12:20 AM<em>

"Are you two insane?" Reborn snarled as the two before him hung their heads. "You could have been killed! Sneaking out to spy on those monsters- you're absolutely mad!" Suddenly, the boss realized that he was yelling at Mukuro and Lussuria, and he could almost see Lambo's pouting face if it had been him. He calmed himself, and sighed, reaching up and rubbing his forehead. "Well... uh... I understand your motives, and I'm sorry for yelling, but please, try to be more careful next time, all right?"

The two smiled, and thanked him, before walking back to tend to the animals. Reborn sighed, and walked up to the tamer's bedroom, but held his knock. He arched an eyebrow, and listened, hearing on the other end the voice of... a woman? He chuckled to himself. Nonsense! Dino had told him he would never marry. The boss walked in, and gaped to see Dino and a mature female werewolf talking to each other. She was covered in wounds, a bandage per each limb. Reborn felt himself fuming.

"Dino...," he hissed through his teeth. The tamer looked at him, and Reborn was suprised even further when the caramel-eyed man began to tear up.

"Please don't fire me, boss. When I saw her hurt, I just knew that I couldn't take her to the infirmary... So I brought her here and I treated her instead. Please, please don't be mad at me..."

"Woah, woah, calm down, I'm not mad," Reborn lied, a hand on the back of his neck. "Uh... All right, as long as you aren't... well, doing anything innappropriate to her..." Lal Mirch gave the boss a fierce glare.

"Do you think I'm some helpless little girl?" she snarled. Reborn sighed, and stepped out of the room, before closing the door.

"There's only so much of this that I can take," he mumbled, heading back to the lab.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>In case you haven't already heard, we've reached the <strong>100,000 word<strong> mark! Woot woot!

And a little by the by, I've set up a** beta reading account** for anyone who's intrested. :)

Please Review!


	49. The Beautiful

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Forty-nine: The Beautiful**

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- All-Inclusive Enclosure- 2:00 AM The Next Day...<em>

"Is everyone comfortable?" Dino asked as he laid a blanket over Lal. A murmur of 'yes' rose throughout the group, and Dino stood upright, smiling. "All right, I'll head out, then. We're opening very late and closing very early tomorrow in recognition of the vampire holiday 'Bloody Tuesday.'"

"Oh? Then... it's already autumn...," Fon murmured, "Bloody Tuesday is held on the second Tuesday of September."

"What's celebrated in it?" Colonello asked.

"It's a day where vampires get together, sing, dance, and often reunite with their whole clans," Fon said, smiling. "It's a glorious celebration! Everyone donates a mouthful of blood to a large tortoise shell, and then, after letting the moon bathe it with light, they each take a sip of the mixed blood, which means that all of them recieve a piece of each of the vampires present."

"Sounds like a lot of fun for you lot," Colonello chuckled. "Bummer there are only two vampires here..."

Enma hopped over. "I can make it three," he said, morphing into a full vampire form. Fon smiled.

"If only Hibarin was here... Although, the only thing we can do here is a group blood-share anyway."

Dino had already left, knowing the whole of Bloody Tuesday. Apparently, long ago, the day was actually based on a prior situation where hunter and a vampire had bred. It was the day in which vampires had believed that they established peace with mankind, and then, the day itself- the Bloody Tuesday, was a day when five thousand vampires had been slaughtered in retaliation for the creation of the repulsive hybrid of the lovers.

While to mankind, five thousand wasn't neccessarily a lot, the vampire population hadn't been so high at the time. Five thousand was actually one third of the worldwide population! Luckily, they had made a superb comeback. Vampires began to outnumber humans, and the creatures were currently at a overall population of two million. And now that there were so many of them, they were all able to celebrate Bloody Tuesday together.

Well... _almost_ all of them.

Dino headed into his room, and changed out of his work clothes, before sliding into bed. It was soon after that Lussuria did the same- of course, in a different bed as Dino. "Have a nice day, hun?"

"A long day to say the least," Dino sighed. "You?"

"Oh, Mukuro and I snuck out to try and find Hibarin."

"Really?" Dino said, turning on his side to look over at the other man. "How did that go?"

"Well, we did find him," Lussuria replied, taking off his sunglasses and placing them on the nightstand. "Unfortunately, the poor _dear_ seems to be _very_ sick."

"Sick?" Dino repeated.

"His skin was _very_ red, and he kept coughing up blood."

Dino thought for a moment. "Did anyone mention anything about his blood betraying him?"

"... Yes, _something_ like that," Lussuria agreed.

"Well then! He's not sick at all," Dino said. "The red skin on its own could be fever, but it sounds to me like he's just in a situation where his heart doesn't want to be. A vampire will always rely on the source of its blood in order to figure out where it's supposed to be. Hibarin's probably just ignoring his blood."

"So what can _we_ do to help?" Lussuria asked. The tamer smiled.

"I don't think we'll need to worry about him for much longer."

_Meanwhile, in Crimson Forest..._

Hibari was sitting up on the stones that made the dens, watching as Basil and Daisy enjoyed their meal together. The elite felt no jealously as he watched the two, because he had already figured out why Basil and he were incompatible. First off, the younger had never loved him for real. Basil had been influenced by the wants of the Science Center, as well as his own uncontrolled maturing lust. The poor thing didn't know true love then- after all, a vampire of his age was not fully grown in the arts of romance. But Basil was starting to come out of that age, and Daisy had found him at just the right time. The elite sighed, looking at the bright sky above.

_It was only one more day until Bloody Tuesday._

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- In the Hunter's Bedroom- 12:00 PM...<em>

Mukuro lied on his bed, his eyes closed as he thought about Hibari Natsu Kyoya II. About the flawless skin, and the rare, gentle smile. About the blood of aristocratic ancestry, about the fangs that were known vampire-worldwide for their supremacy. About the eyes that pierced his soul, the arms that embraced his body, the hair that fell about his face in the most perfect appearance. Hibari Natsu Kyoya II- an elite above all others.

And the hunter wanted him back.

Mukuro lied there for hours, just thinking... dreaming about the vampire whom he loved. Wanting the return of his precious vampire... needing the comfort of Hibari's arms. He wanted to spend his life at the creature's side... but it seemed impossible now. Hibari loved Basil, right? So... there was nothing left for the hunter.

The hunter sighed, rolling over, and closing his eyes. He wouldn't eat again today.

_Meanwhile, in the Darkest Corner of the SCSB..._

Xanxus sat with his back against the wall, Squalo in his arms. The cold, smooth fingers of the merman clutched Xanxus's clothes tightly, even in his sleep, as if his dreams involved the same situation. The older vampire smiled, leaning in, and kissing the merman's forehead. "If you're scared of losing me, you're just going to have to stay by my side forever. Agreed?" Squalo murmured 'yes' in his subconcious state, and nuzzled against the older being's shoulder, hugging him just a bit tighter. "That's my fish," Xanxus teased, his long fangs glinting dangerously as he came towards the pale shoulder.

Snap! In an instant, Xanxus's fangs had dislocated Squalo's shoulder, and he sucked greedily, the merman quivering against him. "Xanxus," Squalo breathed. "Please... it hurts..."

"You always say that," Xanxus growled, his fangs still lodged within the bone. "Why should I stop?"

"... Because you love me...," Squalo sighed. The older vampire thought for a moment, then jerked his own fangs out of the bone, before helping to set the damaged shoulder back in place. "Thanks," the merman grunted.

"Bah, if you're gonna be a baby about it," Xanxus pouted, draping his arms around the slender waist.

"Heh. Funny you should call me that," the shark answered.

"Hello~? Squalo? Xanxus? It's Fran!" called a new voice. "I just came through our old enclosure. I wanted to spend some time with you guys."

"Ushishishi~ _We_ wanted to. Not just him," said another. Xanxus sighed, and struck the alloy wall with his powerful fist, causing a shower of sparks to hit an extinguished torch on the wall. He and Squalo approached the couple, and the four sat down, Fran setting down the fish he'd brought as a peace offering. Xanxus returned the favor by giving the other couple a portion of his meal. After all, he didn't really favor lamb over fish when steak wasn't an option. The four began to eat and share news, all cheerful even in the gloom of the cavern.

And as they spoke together, they made a pact. From then on, they would be a team, and they would share any potentially beneficial information with each other as soon as possible. Particularly amused, Belphegor decided to give the four of them a nickname.

The Varia.

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- All-Inclusive Enclosure- 9:00 PM...<em>

The vampires huddled together, all baring their fangs, Colonello nervously standing alongside them, and Fon started, coming in and locking his jaws about Skull's shoulder. The other vampire grinned, and did the same to the morph Enma, who used his somewhat false fangs to bite Colonello. As the four drank, they grew closer, invigorating the bonds that all vampires shared as a species. And before they knew it, others had decided to participate, as well. Hayato and Takeshi playfully snuck into the knot, and each picked out a shoulder to lovebite, soon drawing in more creatures. Rasiel and Mammon, who'd used to have centaur meat, wanted to remember that taste, even if just a little, and they groomed Takeshi's horse back, moving on to more as Ryohei, Kikyo, and a hesitant Byakuran joined in. Without the tamers around, Bel and Fran smuggled Squalo and Xanxus into the group bloodshare, although the only one who would dare to take a chance at being bitten by Xanxus was Squalo. Eventually, only Fuuta and Bluebell stayed out of it, but they let affection circulate amongst each other as they embraced. Lambo hesitantly joined in. Even Lal Mirch joined in, knowing that this was her last chance to safely chomp on her former mate's shoulder.

"Happy Bloody Tuesday, everyone," Fon said softly. The gentle phrase was passed between each pair of lips, before suddenly being given to an outsider.

"Happy Bloody Tuesday, everyone." The creatures all looked back, to see Dino, and he walked forward, ignoring Byakuran's threatening stomps against the ground. At last, he stopped before Lal, and hugged her tightly. "I know I'm not one of you... but... please let me participate in whatever way I can," Dino said. The beings looked amongst themselves, and at last, Byakuran strode forward, and actually bowed to Dino.

"In order for me to express to my mate that I'm a changed pegataur, please step on to my back."

"Huh? You mean that?" Dino said, his caramel eyes wide. The other nodded, and lied a wing down on the ground, granting Dino access to his flawless back. The tamer reluctantly came forward, and placed both hands on to Byakuran's shoulders, before pushing himself up and straddling the white horse back. The wings folded around his legs, and Byakuran sighed, returning to Kikyo and lying his tail over his mate's.

"Come on, now everyone, it's just a human, no big deal," he sighed.

And everyone agreed.

**-End Chapter**

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><p>Please Review!<p> 


	50. The Beloved

**Captured Hearts**

**Chapter Fifty: The Beloved**

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><p><em>11:00 PM<em>

Everyone slept together on the ground, all of the mates at each other's sides, and all of the friends in one general area. Bloody Tuesday had just about been as brilliant as it was out in the wild. Dino lied beside Lal Mirch, and Byakuran took the liberty to lie down and place a wing over the two as they slept. Fon was beside Skull; Enma and Skull snuggled up together for the night; Hayato and Takeshi lay together, as did Fran and Belphegor. Xanxus and Squalo retreated into their cave for the night, and Bluebell and Fuuta slept beside one another at the bottom of the pond. Byakuran and Kikyo were side by side; Ryohei fell asleep leaning against the entrance, waiting for Lussuria to say good night to him; Rasiel and Mammon cuddled up close to each other, as well. All were at peace, and a few, such as Dino felt content enough that they would be able to pass into another life with no regrets. But one who did not quite feel this sentiment was Hayato. He opened his dark, emerald orbs, and stood, slipping away from Takeshi for a moment to go wash his face off from the unusual blood-bonding experience that night. He cupped his hands, and began to wash off, but just as he began to clean his pointed ears, he noticed a light beyond the glass wall. He grunted, getting to his feet, and he walked over to the wall, his eyes slowly adjusting to the brightness. It seemed to be a fire, glowing amber, but trapped inside a veil of water-soaked leaves. Hayato recognized this technique. Werewolves had picked up on it shortly after vampires began to make these odd lanterns. As the creature stepped out of the forest, they held the lantern up, and the light just barely revealed their face. The skin was a feverish red, and the eyes were narrow. Uncombed, black hair hung about the face, and just hints of blood smears adorned their upper eyelids.

Still not visually adjusted, the werewolf lumbered back towards the sleeping creatures, and approached Dino. The silverette leaned down, and nudged Dino, so that the honey-colored gaze would be revealed. "Hayato?" he murmured, drowsily. Hayato pointed to the being outside, and Dino got to his feet, careful not to disturb Byakuran or Lal, and he headed over to the door. "Dude... that's... Hibarin!" he exclaimed. Everyone began to wake up, and Dino rushed to light the torches to alert the vampire to their presence. The elite outside dropped his lantern in suprise, but the damp moss over the top of it extinguished the fire- another tactic to prevent wildfire. The tamer quickly made everyone aware of the fact that Hibari was outside, then rushed out the entrance of the SCSB, accidentally leaving the door open. The vampires, werewolves, and those merpeople that were capable of walking hurried out the door, following Dino outside of the lab. But none of them ran once they were out. Even the centaurs, who carefully managed to follow the others outside, did not gallop into the wilderness when they had the chance. They were kept in place by that which stood before them. Hibari was quivering, obviously cold, and Dino shed his jacket, placed it over the vampire's shoulders, before taking him inside. They simply went into the hall, and all of the creatures circled about them, all filled with excitement. None of them noticed, but Bluebell and Fuuta had made it out of the enclosure, and were headed for the open door...

"Are you sure you're all right?" Fon asked. "I could give you blood to help you warm up."

"No... I'm fine," Hibari rasped. His face was gradually paling, becoming a healthier color as he sighed, "It's just my heart."

"Have you been drinking regularly?" Skull asked. "You really look terrible."

"Do I? _Thanks,"_ the elite said sarcastically, rolling his eyes. "How's everyone been?"

"Oh, well, Kikyo and I...," Byakuran began, shuffling slightly. Hibari looked at the two centaurs, and smirked.

"Good for you two."

"Uh... I...," Lambo spoke up, "guess Reborn and I are kind of... kind of together."

"Congratulations."

"Hey, everyone," Dino said, "you all need to head back into the enclosure... Hibarin, would you like to go to Mukuro's room by yourself?" The vampire nodded.

"I'd like that," he answered.

"Dino," Lal Mirch said, before clearing her throat.

"Oh! Hibarin!" Dino said, taking Lal by the shoulders and holding her towards Hibari. "This is Lal Mirch. She transferred not too long after your leave."

"It's a pleasure," Hibari greeted, although he was obviously worn out.

"Same here, Hibarin," Lal said, taking his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze. "Hope you have the time of your life with whoever... Now come on, Dino, let's head back..." Dino, Lal, and all of the other creatures left, all the doors were closed back up, but not before Fuuta and Bluebell could escape the SCSB. Hibari turned, and headed for the stairs to the hunter's bedroom. He climbed up them, and walked over towards the door, and at the moment he knocked, all color left his cheeks. He was right where his heart wanted him.

"... Dino...?"

"No."

"... Reborn?"

"No."

Hibari smiled. The hunter was adorable when he was tired. He heard the creak of the bed as, on the other side of the door, Mukuro got off of it, then footsteps, before the door at last opened. The two stood, staring at each other, equally shocked. Color rushed back into Hibari's face, not from sickness, but from the sight of his hunter after such misery. And color left the hunter's own, not from insanity, but from seeing Hibari again after craving him for days. The air became heavy, tense, and deafening. Who could break the silence? They stared into each other's eyes, both frozen in time, entranced by each other's beauty. Hibari's fangs began to grow irritated as he licked them continuously, his steel irides resting on the hunter's bare chest. That Mukuro could sleep shirtless in the autumn was just another sign of his brilliance, after all. Equally suprised by Hibari's oddly ragged appearance, Mukuro couldn't take his gaze away from the multiple irregularities. Hibari's hair was so messy, his body decorated by odd, red bruises, his clothes torn, a little wet, and very dirty. Was this how a vampire was _supposed_ to live?

At last, the hunter opened the door and stepped aside, and Hibari silently walked in after him, before walking over to the bed, and sitting down on it. Mukuro closed the door and turned on the light, still watching the vampire's every move. To his utmost joy, the elite reached up, and pulled the string that held his cape around his shoulders, letting it drop down onto the bed. He then reached up, and undid the first button of his shirt, the second, the third, revealing more and more of his toned, yet clearly damaged body as he seductively removed his shirt. He gently pushed both articles of clothing to the ground, then reached up, and beckoned the hunter closer with a single finger.

Mukuro stalked up to the other, his mismatched eyes filled with affection and lust. He leaned in, reaching out and placing his hands on the pale shoulders, before meeting their lips together. The elite returned the action the moment it started, and emotion flowed between the two in a nearly electric flow. Soon after the kiss began, Hibari wrapped his arms around the hunter's body, and felt along the well defined spine, noting with disappointment that the hunter seemed just a little underfed. Mukuro eased out of the kiss, his eyes filled with concern, and he placed the tips of his fingers on one of many red bruises that decorated the vampire's body. "What happened to you?" he murmured.

"My blood started to fight me the more I spent time away from you," Hibari answered in an equally soft voice. "Don't worry. It'll heal soon... What about you, though? You're quite thin."

"I admit I skipped a meal or two," the hunter confessed. He then came in, and kissed Hibari's collarbone, before nibbling it, making the other wince slightly. The vampire then took a firmer hold on Mukuro's shoulders, got to his feet, and instead forced the hunter back down onto the bed so that he could at last have his drink. He came in, and opened wide, pinpointing the numbest area for his fangs, and at last sinking them into the other's neck. Mukuro gasped, and hugged the vampire tightly, realizing that his intake of the other's blood must've made things just a bit more pleasurable when it came to blood exchange. "Hibarin...," Mukuro sighed. "I've missed you so much." In place of speaking, the elite allowed the precious blood to flow through his fangs into his mouth. He quickly recognized the bitter taste of his own blood, but, as it was mixed with his true love, it was only that much better. He bit down harder, reaching back with one hand and feeling along Mukuro's waist. It wasn't long before his hand brushed over the hunter's most sensitive area, and Mukuro shuddered, closing his eyes. "Did I ever tell you I love you?" the hunter groaned, shifting slightly so that he could get a good grope on the vampire's backside, to which Hibari hissed. "All right, all right, easy," Mukuro protested, releasing the elite immediately. "So I bet Basil has just been spoiling you like mad, hm?"

"I guess so," Hibari snickered. "You jealous? Are you going to put me in place or something?"

"So help me I will," Mukuro taunted, and Hibari allowed himself to be turned back on to his back. Another, fiercer kiss was shared, and Hibari slid the tips of his fingers into Mukuro's waistband, before tugging down the hunter's trousers with ease. The hunter was less lucky. After all, the vampire before him always had a little something for nice, tight pants. Mukuro quickly succeeded in his objective with his willpower, however, soon leaving both him and the vampire completely bare. "It's been so long," the hunter cooed, his hand slowly going down the vampire's chest. "How much pleasure do you want for this one?"

"I'm a big boy, Mukuro, I can handle myself," Hibari answered in a low tone, folding his arms behind his head. "Scared?"

_"Scared?_ Ha! I'll _show_ you scared," the hunter answered, his eyes shining. Hibari had gone from that timid, ignorant virgin vampire to this seductive devil in a rather nice progression, and he loved that. He hastily went to get a couple condoms, as being safe was quite important to him since the incident with Heartsickness. Once he was prepared and Hibari was officially bored, he spread the vampire's legs, and leaned forward, blushing darkly. "Are you ready?" he whispered.

"Are you?" Hibari returned. The hunter smiled.

"All right, Hibarin," he cooed, before beginning to push himself in. Hibari immediately lost the cool guy act, scrunching up his face, and twitching slightly. "Haha! You look like Hayato!" Mukuro laughed, before leaning in to wipe the brimming tears from Hibari's eyes.

"Aw, _shaddup_, I could've said the same about you just a few seconds ago," the elite mumbled.

"Shhh," Mukuro hushed. He began to stroke the vampire to help him relax, and he was soon completely inside the other, panting lightly. "Tell me when," he whispered. The two waited for a few moments, until Hibari took control of pleasuring himself, and he muttered for Mukuro to move. The hunter began to do so, rocking in and out of him fairly smoothly, although it was still a little uncomfortable.

"Hey, Mukuro...," Hibari breathed, closing his eyes. "Love you."

"I love you, too, Hibarin," Mukuro whispered.

"Hey, call me something else. Everyone calls me Hibarin. Give me an alias that's special for you," Hibari said. The hunter thought for a while, then shook his head.

"Do you have any ideas?"

"Nah..." Mukuro suddenly gave a slightly rougher thrust, and Hibari squealed, before covering his mouth, blushing a little. "Take it easy," he complained. "... Hey, I used to have this bird..."

"Huh?"

"A bird. Uh... a skylark," Hibari elaborated. "Called him Hibird, y'know?"

"Hibird?" Mukuro said, before smirking. "So you want a pet name."

"Nevermind," Hibari grunted. He slid down into the bed, frustrated with the lack of pleasure, and he sighed. "All right, pick up the pace."

"Hmm?"

"You heard me," the elite muttered. "Pick it up. Seriously." The hunter shrugged, and started to increase his pace, gradually getting the vampire to feel all right. "Ah, that's better...," Hibari sighed. Encouraged, Mukuro quickly got out of hand, but it wasn't like the ravenette cared. After all, it was almost as if the faster the hunter got, the better everything felt. Hibari rapidly began to feel the tension increasing in his groin, and he moaned, holding the hunter tightly as he gave up on trying to make things better. "H-harder," he hissed. "You falter for a second and I swear I'll rip your heart out."

"Hahh... I guess... I have no choice... then...," the hunter groaned. "Close?"

_"So_ close."

Mukuro moved as if controlled by the vampires words, as if possessed by his own pleasure, and the both of them came together, overcome by the need. Luckily for the hunter, he'd managed to wear down Hibari, and the both of them fell asleep, knowing that this was just the beginning.

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><p><em>Crimson Forest- Japan- Murky Pond- 11:18 PM<em>

"We... we did it!" Fuuta cheered, hugging Bluebell tightly. "We escaped. The mermaid smiled, and tapped the other on the nose."

"You escaped. I just tagged along," she giggled. The two swam to the bottom of the pond, and just as they approached what appeared to be a good bed, a dark-tailed, dark-haired merman swam up to them, before freezing completely.

"Bluebell...," he whispered. "How...?" He then took notice of Fuuta, and gulped. "Who is this?"

"Who're you?" Bluebell countered, before gasping. "No way, are you possibly... _Gen?"_

The other merman looked away. "I go by a different name now," he sighed. "It's Phantom Knight."

"Well, gosh, it's been years!" Bluebell exclaimed, embracing the other tightly. "I'm so glad to have found you!"

"You... are?"

"Yeah! You were an important friend to me back in the days," Bluebell said. "Oh, and this is my boyfriend, Fuuta." The tan-haired merman blushed crimson, and looked away, knowing that this Phantom Knight guy very obviously had a thing for Bluebell. But his features became immediately relaxed as he heard the news.

"Oh," he said. "I'm so relieved... you found happiness." Bluebell shrugged, and gave the merman another hug, before looking around the pond for another place to sleep. Fuuta stayed beside Phantom Knight.

"Um... I'm sorry," he murmured. The other gave a suprisingly warm smile.

"Fuuta, right? Don't worry about me. I don't deserve Bluebell, and I'm too old for her now, anyway. But consider me your guard. I may have lost a number of precious things in this world, but I won't lose Bluebell again. Consider me your older brother, all right? I'll protect you two for the rest of my life." Fuuta blushed, quietly thanked the merman, then swam back to Bluebell.

Their lives were bound to be joyous.

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><p><em>Science Center for Supernatural Beings- Japan Branch- In the Dining Hall- 7:00 AM little over a Week Later...<em>

Chrome and Tsuna helped each of the centaurs in through a ramp, Dino helped get the werewolves in safely, and Lussuria got Fran and Squalo into the large room, the vampires entering of their own accord. The room was full of creatures, and the scientists alike, for news had arrived from Italy. A vampire named I-Pin managed to destroy the generator that kept the invisible borders up, and she singlehandedly caused a mass breakout. No one was left in the ISCSB, and Reborn had only one response to give to them, that "the same happened over here."

Of course, it was a lie, but a lie that everyone appreciated. The JSCSB was going to be shut down and demolished by Reborn's orders. After all, the story of the vampire who came back was one that was quickly growing popular, making everyone from the organization rich enough to retire. It was obvious now that vampires, werewolves, merpeople, and centaurs weren't monsters any more. They had emotions, they could love, and they were not a subspecies. Any and all enslaved vampires were released by orders of the emperor, Sir Vongola IX, and Crimson Forest was being turned over to vampire society. The centaurs were going to be released into the mountains where they could breed, where they could coexist with minotaurs and be content. The merpeople were being released into lakes or oceans, depending on their preference, and the werewolves were free to go wherever they pleased.

At last, the guests of honor walked into the dining hall, Mukuro Rokudo and Hibari Natsu Kyoya II, the evident rings adorning their hands. The two bowed as their arrival was applauded, and they both sat down at the ridiculously long table, hand in hand. "Congratulations, you two!" Fon called, tossing a banquet of impressive bloody roses at Hibari. "You'll be so happy together!"

Hibari blushed, and Mukuro followed suit, before Reborn called for silence, clapping his hands together. "All right, everyone! We all know that things more or less turned out perfect for these two, but come on!" A chuckle swept through the room. "Lussuria, is everything ready?"

"Of _course_, boss!" Lussuria cheered, smiling broadly.

"Good. Tsuna, Shoichi, Enma, help Lussuria bring out the food, please."

Enma morphed into a hydra, a dragon with multiple heads that was actually long extinct, and held each of his five different jaws open, soon taking plates and setting them on the table. The table was soon done being set, and Enma morphed back to his favorite form, with feathers in his hair and hooves in place of his legs. After thanking Reborn for paying for such a feast, everyone began to eat, all of them incredibly happy. At last, they were a family.

After that night, everyone agreed to meet up every December first in Crimson Forest, bringing along with them all the family they could.

Hayato and Takeshi agreed to be taken to Italy, and a law was soon passed in the country, making the hunting of supernatural beings illegal. Hayato quickly found Bianchi, although, unfortunately, his mother had been shot. Hayato quickly remembered his hatred of humans, but knew he'd have to make an exception for those at the science center. He and Takeshi opened a sushi place, and Bianchi took the liberty to make the sushi extra _special_ whenever any obviously egoist humans decided to drop by.

Byakuran and Kikyo were released into Trampled Prairie, a centaur and minotaur land that went way back. The two of them soon adopted a few orphaned centaurs, quickly starting their own herd, of which Byakuran was the proud leader. As a pegataur, he got all of the high treatment he wanted, and no one ever dared to question him. Ghost never bothered him or Kikyo, proving Byakuran's suspicions that his phantom brother had moved on to greater things, just as he had. One day, two mysterious centaurs, one with a thick red tail and a rude mouth, the other with a black, star-patterned pelt, showed up, and they joined Byakuran's herd, which soon became known as the Gesso. Every so often, however, the herd would have to defend their territory and grazing land from that damn troll, Levi.

Fon, Colonello, Enma and Skull slipped in to Crimson forest, and established a family relationship with Basil and Daisy, whom had adopted a child only a few days prior. Fon continued to practice his martial arts, and one day, I-Pin turned up in Crimson forest with two other vampires named Nozaru and Tazaru. I-Pin continued to learn from Fon, and the two others became guards for the heart of the forest, should humans ever invade again. Fon was acknowledged for his false fang, and Daisy showed Fon an herbal mixture that could be used to regrow his long lost fang. It miraculously worked. Colonello was given war training by Lancia should Japan ever need him. Skull found a pretty solid frendship with Chikusa and Ken, and Enma was loved by pretty much everyone, as most morphs ought to be. Unfortunately, that damn troll, Levi, kept breaking in and trampling their camp, making quite the uproar as he did so.

Belphegor and Fran moved into the nearest body of water to Murky Pond, an empty lake known as Lake SwanFeather. Bel found a litter of werewolf pups whose parents must've been poached, and tried to raise them, however Mammon and Rasiel had to step in to help. Bearing each other no ill will, Belphegor, Mammon, Rasiel and Fran decided to help this pack grow. Unfortunately for them, a few days later, an old, scruffy male came along, and claimed the litter as his own. The other werewolves could identify that this was the truth with a single sniff. This male, named Julie Katou, taught the four some useful techniques for hunting, as well as seducing females, should they ever need to know. He explained that his mate had been caught and killed by that damn troll, Levi.

Lussuria decided that cooking and cleaning just weren't his style any more. He wanted to be out, free to live with Ryohei. And so, after surveying all of the possible areas for them to live, he got on his trusty steed and rode off for the Kazeki mountains, to live with his love in the wilderness. Although, after finding a very nice place, Lussuria couldn't hold back. He fought the urges for a while, but soon got to tidying up the fields. Just so that the neighbors didn't think poorly of him. That damn troll, Levi would always come and mess things up, though, just driving Lussuria crazy!

Squalo and Xanxus managed to escape out into the mountains as well, but they found instead a rockier terrain. A place with thousands of crevices and caverns to escape into. It was perfect. The two of them found one cavern with a gorgeous pond caused by a melting glacier, in which they stayed for a long time, only leaving to meet up with Belphegor, Fran, and the new members of the Varia: Mammon and Rasiel. Sadly, every so often, that damn troll, Levi, would crash the meeting, making everyone their go on a rampage.

Dino and Lal built a cabin together near Murky pond, and lived together in it. Weeks after it had been built, the two decided to have children. And they would, except for one reason. See, this damn troll, Levi, kept storming into their cabin and wrecking the place. They really did hate the trolls.

Reborn and Lambo decided to move into town. Reborn bought a nice stable for Lambo to live in, and the two enjoyed a very peaceful balance together. They became well known in town, and Reborn began to advise others who were developing a love intrest in a supernatural being. Then, one day, this damn troll, Levi, stampeded into town, and Reborn decided to ignore the law, just this once. One bullet, and the world became a happier place.

As for Hibari and Mukuro, the two of them moved out into a field east of Trampled Prairie, in which there stood an old, abandoned orchard. The hunter-vampire couple nurtured this place back to its former glory, making it a beautiful sight, filled with blood-raised roses and intricate flower arrangements. Cherry trees bloomed every spring, and even though the raining blossoms made Hibari feel a little lightheaded, they were still beautiful. Owls began to nest in the trees, but Hibari had to drive away the occassional harpy in order to sustain this order. Linked mentally, physically, emotionally, legally, and by destiny, the two of them lived out the rest of their lives in peace.

And _all_ loved.

-**Owari**

* * *

><p>Ahem! All right, if this video is ever going to happen, then we'll need to stay in touch! Look out for the<strong> next fanfiction<strong> from me. It will be** another vampire story**, 6918/1869, B26, 8059, and XS. More pairings may come, as well. It will be called **Day Job,** and chapter one is scheduled **to be posted on June 9.** It will NOT be a repeat of Captured Hearts, but I do expect it to prosper.

**Thank you** one and all for supporting me all the way to the **100,000 word landmark!** I couldn't have done it without reviews!

I'll continue working on the **video**, but it probably won't happen at least until school's out.

**Triple upload** this week! Pretty awesome, ne?

This story has ended at **50 chapters and one hundred thousand however many words!** Thanks, everyone!

That's a lot of reasons to review! **Do it!**


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